Red Blazing Fire Fist Ace
by RedRogueRose
Summary: Ace x OC : A cantankerous female pirate with a horrific past, a damn high bounty and blazing fire power to boot. A proud man, ready to prove his damned soul worthy for the first time in his life. Two lives colliding in a storm of love and passion. The story of Portgas. D. Ace and Blaize Roux Shanks; and how they tore the world apart to be together. M - Lemon, Language and Violence.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi there, this is my first One Piece fic, so please, no flames (even though it's about Ace) _

_I only own Blaize Roux Shanks, though if it were up to me, Ace would NOT be dead...This chapter's mainly set up, I've tried to be as accurate as possible._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**_Narcaleptic Idiots and Awkward Sand in Awkward Places_**

_Ah jeez, this heat is ridiculous. I should really think about getting a hair cut..._

The young woman blew a springy curl off her sticky forehead and looked around for some shade. A restaurant at the end of the road looked promising but as she closed in she saw a rather large crowd gathered outside. With a frustrated sigh she took in their worried expressions and tapped the nearest guy on the shoulder.

"Oi, what's going on here?" She asked, hitching her shoulder sack higher. Her slick skin was really starting to annoy her.

"They're saying some guy just dropped dead in there! Just really suddenly, right in the middle of a conversation and eating, poor idiot; they say he ate a strawberry spider, that's why no one's going near h – HEY! Miss come back, you don't know how dangerous it is..."

Blaize ignored the idiot man and pushed her way through the crowd. Finally finding relief from the baking sun she let out a sweet sigh, set her sack down at the nearest empty table and kicked back on one of the chairs. Now she was inside she could see the poor sap that'd died halfway through his meal. Still, nicer way to go than most...HOLY SHIT!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! HE CAME BACK TO LIFE"

The crowd screamed as said dead man rose up from his plate, whipped his face on a woman's skirt and carried on eating.

"Man...damn...fell asleep."

Another cry went up but Blaize just chuckled, wishing she could sleep so easily. She hailed a stunned waitress and ordered something strong enough to ease her aching feet. Tuning out she pulled off her head scarf and desert cloak and stored them away in her sack. Ah god it felt good to be able to breathe again. This trip was beginning to piss her off, even more than usual. Not that miss Blaize Roux Shanks was in a good mood often, severe lack of sleep would do that to you. She frowned and glanced at the half naked man still sat at the bar. How do you fall asleep in the middle of a restaurant anyway? Wait...

She squinted at his back, specifically the remarkable tattoo...and smiled. Finally, someone who might be able to help her out!

She stood just as a hefty man smoking two cigars strolled in, eyes glued to the pirate sat at the bar.

"I guess you don't have a problem with eating in public; Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Second Division, Portgas D Ace." Said the burly man calmly as people reacted to his words in terror. Fucking Marine! Just her luck – he glanced her way and she froze, her expression set in a deep frown.

"You think you slipped my notice? I wouldn't have expected you to be this careless, Red Blaze." He looked between the two, puffing on those infernal cigars still, "Tell me, what do two of the most infamous pirates have in this country?"

Ace looked over his shoulder ever so slightly and caught Blaize's eye before smirking and setting down his cup. "I'm searching for my little brother; though I can't speak for the lady over there." He jerked his thumb her way and Blaize raised her eyebrow in displeasure. A collective gasp went throughout the crowd as she turned her infamous expression to the Marine, who was looking at her expectantly.

"I'm looking for my uncle."

The Marine didn't really look like he actually cared about this information, which sent an angry jolt through Blaize. She crossed her arms and waited.

"So then, what should I do?" Asked the man called Ace.

"Sit there and let me arrest you," he looked back to Blaize, "both."

"Rejected," Ace smirked, "I'd rather not."

Blaize snorted, "yeah sorry, but I share his sentiments."

Ace sent her a shit eating grin and tipped his hat; Blaize shot him a glare back.

"Well that's what I expected," replied the Marine as he closed his eyes.

"Why'd you ask then dipshit?" Growled Blaize, enjoying how the Marine stiffened under her disrespect.

"Right now, I'm looking for a different pirate. I'm not really interested in either of your heads." He said.

"Let us go then." Did he just say us? Blaize didn't need a fucking partner in crime.

"I can't do that..."

The Marine suddenly flexed his fist and Blaize groaned when she saw it turn to smoke; he was a bloody devil fruit user. Of course he was, god, how could she not have recognised him? Commander Smoker...like the cigars didn't give that away she thought dryly.

"As long as I'm a Marine, and you're both Pirates."

"What a dumb reason."

"I really don't have time for this."

"Shall we have some fun then?"

"Oh for fuck's sake..."

"GOMU GOMU NOOOOO! ROCKET!"

A blur flew past Blaize and hit Smoker's back with immense force, sending him crashing into Ace and straight through the back wall. She blinked a few times, not really sure what the hell just happened. Grabbing her sack she walked over to the smoking hole and saw several others leading on from it and some kid in a straw hat but no Smoker or Ace. Jeez, did that stringy boy just seriously do that? The one now shouting for food like a child?

Blaize rubbed a hand over her eyes, "Ugh, I really hate this weird ass place." She muttered and, grabbing the bottle from her table, left before the barman realised she hadn't paid or that stupid Smoker reappeared.

She was beginning to think the lead which sent her here was a hoax. She really couldn't see her uncle being in this dump; it was too hot for one, and there was sand everywhere! She didn't even know how it got in some parts of her body. She had another lead but it was a long way away, and she'd need a boat, a fast one. God this was frustrating, why couldn't her devil fruit have been one that transported her places quickly? Not that she didn't like the one she'd received by accident when she was five, but it wasn't much help right now.

A commotion behind her suddenly caught her attention and she turned just in time to see that straw hat kid racing towards her...with Smoker in tow. Thinking quickly she dove for a side alley and flattened her body to the cool wall. They tore past in a rush of dust, Blaize let out a sigh of relief and turned to follow the alley down.

"AH!" She yelped. That arrogant pirate from the bar was stood right behind her. She stilled her glowing hands and gaze him an incredulous look.

"YOU IDIOT! Do you realise what you almost made me do?" She shouted. He smirked and tipped his hat.

"You know, for the bounty on your head you sure do run a lot. I'm just curious about that..."

She snarled at him and tried to push past him but he easily blocked the narrow alley with his body. Blaize simmered angrily and drew back, folding her arms defensively.

"I just don't like wasting time on pointless fights. Like now for example..." She gave him a pointed look but he just smiled.

"That Smoker guy called you Red Blaze, as in Blaize Roux Shanks? Red Haired Shank's daughter right?"

She quirked an eyebrow, "So?"

"You got that from him, the whole not fighting if it's not necessary?" He asked, his face suddenly shifting from jokey to respectful. Blaize let out a bitter chuckle.

"Not exactly, I just don't like people wasting my time. I'm not really as well tempered as my father. How do you know about that anyway?

"I met him once; had to thank him for saving my little brother Luffy. He was that kid from the restaurant in the straw hat."

Blaize blanched, "the one that sent you through a load of walls?"

Ace chuckled, "Yeah, he's a bit of an idiot when he's hungry. By the way, did you see which way he went?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips. She tried not to let her eyes linger on his very toned bare chest... and arms...and stomach...

"Do you own a shirt?" She muttered distractedly before looking him straight in the eye. He was looking at her a little surprised by her question. Before he could speak she pointed, "He went that way and I'd hurry, that Smoker guy was right on his tail."

Ace started, "Ah shit! That idiot." He slipped past her and sent a wave her way, "Thanks Red!" before shooting off into the air with fiery feet. Blaize starred after him for a second; so that was the Fire Fist Ace her father had told her about. He was more handsome than she'd expected. Frowning she shook her head. _Where the hell did that come from?_

With a sigh she blew another errant curl out of her eyes and went to ask someone the way to the docks, and tried to forget her odd encounter with the handsome fire pirate.

* * *

As if fate would let her have a peaceful day. Nooo, of course not! Upon reaching the docks at last she saw them swarmed with marines with fire and smoke lying thick in the air. Yeah, it was so hard to guess whose fault that might be. With a groan she took another detour, running down a series of small pathways to find another way there.

She stopped suddenly...it was far too quiet. It did not escape her notice that the windows and doorways were full of badly hidden men with pathetic weapons. Blaize kept her pace natural as she rounded a corner... and bumped right into a bare chest, throwing her to the ground.

"Eh? You again." Blaize looked up to see none other than Ace staring down at her with a smirk halfway between arrogant and confused. To her immense surprise however, he bent and held out his hand for her to take. She slid her hand into his tentatively, eyeing him with great suspicion. A gasp nearly escaped her when his hand tightened around hers and hauled her up too quickly sending her stumbling into his chest.

"Oi Ace, do you know this lady?" asked a skinny kid from behind the two pirates. Ace quickly let go of her hand a let it rest on his neck. Blaize felt a blush threaten her cheeks; Red Blaze did NOT blush.

"Uh kinda." He mumbled.

"Stop right there, Fire Fist Ace." From all around them, men appeared, brandishing their weapons with idiotic confidence.

"As you can see, there's nowhere to run." A rather large, fat she would say, man spoke from the pathway in front of them. "Fire Fist Ace, your head is ours."

She really needed to start avoiding this guy...

"Prepare to die!"

Yeah, definitely avoid...

"FIRE FIST ACE! Your devil luck ends here."

Suddenly, a few of the men in the crowd who'd been leering at her squinted harder and muttered between each other.

"Oi, isn't that..?"

"Hey, you don't suppose...is that other guy Straw Hat Luffy?"

"Now that you mention it..."

"The 30,000,000 bounty!"

"No, I mean yeah but I was talking about the girl. That's Red Blaze! Her bounty stands at 400,000,000!"

A rumbled went through the crowd. Blaize rolled her eyes as Luffy stared at her in awe.

"We're freakin' lucky today. Fire Fist Ace _and_ Straw Hat Luffy _and_ Red Blaze! When we have your heads we'll be promoted three times over!" He leered uncomfortably close and all three decided they'd had enough at roughly the same time.

"Anyway, let's go find your ship," he said to Luffy as they walked past the men of little threat, "should we go to the beach?"

"Sure," replied Luffy, "Hey lady do you wanna come too?"

Before Blaize could answer a shout rang out from behind them.

"HEY, YOU THREE! HOLD IT!"

"Making fools of us! KILL THEM!"

"AYE!"

Swords came down from all sides, splitting them up. Having taken her last straw Blaize kicked an oncoming guy in the face, then swung round and elbowed another in the stomach. She ducked a poorly executed sword attack and gracefully stepped out of the way of the second and third before bringing her leg round to smack him in the head.

A load of shots sounded and Blaize span quickly and gasped as she saw Ace's brother take several bullets...and bounce them right back! She ducked out of the way and came into the path of the very angry fat man. He lunged at her with his big sword again and again but she easily avoided it until Ace's hand came over her shoulder and grabbed the blade mid swing.

"GOMU GOMU NOOOO!" Two stretched arms shot out on either side of her and cracked into the fat guy just and Ace heated his sword, sending him flying back and out of sight. Blaize took the heated blade from Ace, the blistering metal not bothering her hands, and watched as it began to blaze red. She threw it into the rest of the group and pulled both Ace and Luffy down as it exploded.

"WOAHOHOHO!" Squealed Luffy, "That was so cooool!"

Ace chuckled darkly and pulled Luffy up by his collar. Blaize got herself up and dusted off before setting off for the ocean again, the two boys in tow.

"So you can stretch eh Luffy?" Blaize asked, looking over at Ace's brother.

"He he, yeah, I ate the Gomu Gomu devil fruit when I was younger. But you can blow stuff up! That's super cool, kind of like Ace but even better!"

"Hey!" Ace wacked his brother upside the head but sent Blaize a smirk.

"Ow," Luffy carried on unperturbed, "So who are you anyways?"

"Blaize Roux Shanks, I'm – "

"You're Shank's daughter! NO WAY!"

She had to laugh, he was such a kid. She remembered Ace saying her old man had saved Luffy. Before she got a chance to ask anymore however Luffy saw the ocean and ran ahead.

"Is he always like this?" She asked Ace, trying hard not to smile and ruined her grouchy reputation.

"Pretty much, he hasn't changed at all since we were kids. Sorry, he hasn't got much in the way of manners." He said placing his hands on his hips. Blaize shrugged and let her smile come.

"Oi Luffy! See your ship?"

Running footsteps came from behind, and someone shouted, "You won't escape!" Evidently some of them had survived the blast. Bastards.

"You guys don't know when to quit." Ace voiced what she had been thinking.

"AH! It's over there! OI, I'm over here! GUYS!" Luffy cried out and Blaize turned to see a faint ship on the horizon...wait this idiot was a captain? Oh good god...She turned back to Ace, shooting him a questioning look. He smiled knowingly but his eyes were on the crowd following them.

"Oi Luffy. Go on..." They both turned to see him jumping off over the wall, "yeah he ain't listening" Ace finished dryly.

"You wanna do this or shall I?" He asked her. Blaize held up her hands and mock yawned.

"They're all yours Fire Fist."

She turned out to the ocean and went to lean against the wall. Evidently Luffy had disappeared, she had a vague idea of how considering his ability and sure enough, saw him shooting across the sea to his ship. A soft wind blew up from behind her as fire roared and screams sounded. It really was beautiful, and now that she was close to water with an easy breeze blowing through her hair, the sweltering heat of Arabasta had eased off a bit. Still, she wiped her brow, pushing off a few stray hairs and fanned her face. Footsteps sounded the return of her pirate companion and she turned slightly to see him frowning out at the sea.

"He blasted off to his ship already." Blaize answered his unspoken question and he relaxed, sending her a rueful smile. She brushed it off with a wave of her hand.

"So where are you from here?" asked Ace, leaning beside her on the wall and tilting his hat down over his eyes.

"On to a town far away from here, though I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to get there yet..." She grumbled and sank down so her hand cupped her cheek.

"No boat?" Ace guessed offhandedly. She just nodded in return, "east or west?"

She pointed with her free hand, "west."

"What luck, I happen to be going west myself."

Blaize pulled back and looked at the man before her in surprise. Then her eyes narrowed.

"Just what are you proposing?" Her voice was thick with suspicion.

"Eh? Who said I was proposing anything, I just happen to be going the same way as you, not my problem that you don't have a ride there." He smirked. Blaize sent a punch his way, which he avoided with ease, and went to storm off. Idiot boy, no help whatsoev –

"Oi,"

"What?" She growled, turning with hands on hips, mirroring him.

"Want a ride?" He asked casually. A jolt shot through her chest. She tilted her head, eyeing him up. Should she really do this? He did attract a hell of a lot of trouble...she remembered her recent pledge to avoid this man as much as possible. But if he was offering her a ride...

"How much?" She asked, not moving any closer or breaking her stance.

"Food." He said, scratching his chin with one hand.

"Just food?" She mused. He nodded, dark eyes laced with something she couldn't quite read. "Why?"

He shrugged, "quit asking so many questions damn it, do you want a ride or not?"

Oh why not. "Deal." She walked back over and held out her hand which he took. Warmth spread through her fingers. It took more effort than she'd ever admit to suppress the shiver which raced through her body.

"Deal," he repeated, his eyes never once leaving hers.

* * *

_Ok, there's the first chapter. Please, please, please review and let me know what you think, but please no flames. THANKS! I'll get the next one up asap. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi there, thank you for following and reviewing, I love to hear from you all. _

_Enjoy!_

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**Miss Insomnia Meets Her Match**

"This? This is your ship?" Blaize raised an eyebrow at the tiny boat...thing. Whatever she had expected, it was not this, "just where the hell am I supposed to sit?"

The dark haired pirate grinned and jumped down, making it rock precariously. "Here." said as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Blaize glared incredulously at where he was pointing.

"I am NOT sitting on your back damn it!"

"Eh? Why not? What's your problem?"

"You've got no shirt on for one thing." He threw his head back and laughed, "I fail to see what's so funny." She snarled.

Ace suddenly appeared in front of her; he was eerily quick for someone so big, "I ain't gonna try anything if that's what you're thinking. But if I'm too much of a distraction for you then I guess you'll just have to find another boat." The arrogance was thick in his deep voice. She spluttered at the word 'distraction' and grabbed him by the strings of his hat.

"Maybe I'll just throw you into the deep blue right now and commandeer your crappy little ship."

"I'm the only one who can drive it." He smiled apologetically and looked down at the ship. Following his line of vision she saw for the first time the weird contraption on the rear. Dead pan she looked back at him, ready to kill.

"It's made for your devil fruit power?" He shrugged and she let him go with a frustrated huff. "How?"

"If you'd like to get on my back I can show you?" Clearly amused by her irritation he 'politely' held out his hand. "It's your choice, but I really do need to get going. Luffy's not gonna wait for me to catch up."

...

After surviving the dangerously fast journey to catch up with Luffy and his crew, she was accosted by some love struck guy with an obvious death wish, witnessed yet again how surprisingly polite this Ace guy was, especially in comparison to his brother, watched a swordsman cry over _how much_ better he was than his brother and got to see, yet again, just why Fire Fist Ace has such a high bounty on his head. She had to admit, the sheer power in his attack was frightening...but then, so was her own she mused. In fact, all her power was was destructive. At least Ace could do some good with his. She just blew stuff up.

As he made his way back to the ship the blue haired girl greeted her properly with a sweet smile, "So, you're the infamous Red Blaze? My name is Vivi; it's an honour to meet you Miss Blaze. I must say I've heard the most extraordinary things about you, but tell me, how long have you been travelling with Luffy's brother?"

"About five minutes." She explained the odd day she'd had quickly and was just finishing as Ace flipped onto the deck to the raucous applauds of his brother.

"It must be nice, to be strong enough to travel on your own. I suppose that's why Ace won't mind you going with him, you would never slow him down." The princess smiled kindly but there was a wistful glaze over her eyes. Blaize hadn't thought of it like that but she supposed it was true. She herself wouldn't have agreed if she'd thought he might get in her way or hold her back.

"But you yourself travel with some...interesting people. You must be fairly strong yourself princess." Vivi lowered her head but there was now a wide smile on her face. Whether what she'd said was true or not, Blaize couldn't know yet, but she had a feeling it was the former.

"Of course she is, we wouldn't be helping her otherwise." The orange haired girl joined them but Blaize noticed her smile was a little more guarded. "I'm Nami, and the idiots over there are Sanji, Zoro, Chopper and Usoppe. You have quite the bounty on your head, how come you didn't take out those ships yourself?" How very blunt, maybe they would get along after all.

"Ah! Nami-san..." the princess interjected nervously.

"It's because she won't fight unless absolutely necessary." a deep voice, most definitely not her own, came from behind Blaize. She turned to see Ace sitting on a barrel, grinning pleasantly. He'd twisted her previous words to match her father's more but she suspected it was to cast her in a better light than she deserved. Numbskull, he'd be the ruin of her uncaring reputation.

"OOOOOH, that's just like Shanks!" Shouted his brother, who despite not looking even nearly old enough to drink, had a large tankard in his hand.

"Shanks? Red haired Shanks?" cut in the green haired swordsman.

"Yeah, he's the one who saved my life when I was younger! Red's his daughter, that makes her our nakama."

Blaize gave a start. Did he just say -

"This is great! Ace and Red are our nakama!"

"KANPAI!" They cheered and drank before she could say a thing. Beside her Nami visibly relaxed, her smile becoming a lot more genuine but a cold feeling had crept over Blaize. That word was never good for her.

"Who said I'd be your nakama?" protested Ace from his seat.

"Don't worry about them." said Nami, "These guys are always looking for a reason to Kanpai."

He looked back at them with mild disdain as they Kenpai'd to the bloody sand. She didn't need to catch his eye to read his thoughts; idiots. Still, there was something very open about Ace's brother. It made Blaize feel uncomfortably exposed. Usually people took one look at her murder eyes and steered clear, but Luffy didn't seem to be phased in any way by it.

"Hey guys, are you really gonna be our nakama?"

She let Ace answer for her, "We're both in pursuit of someone. The man I'm looking for is known as Blackbeard."

"Blackbeard? The pirate that sacked the Kingdom of Drum?"

As Ace settled down to tell the story, Blaize wondered over to the portside railings and sank down onto them. This really was a great ship, much better than Ace's tiny crapsack she thought with a ruthless smile. She wondered briefly how in the hell Luffy had obtained it. After a moment tall, big and green joined her quietly, eyes on her twin katanas, strapped to her side. Something unreadable passed over his stoic face and he fixed her with a stare which would have made most flinch.

"You must be quite the swordswoman to possess blades like that." He said simply. She too had noticed his particularly rare swords upon arriving on deck, but they did not surprise her as hers had him; she already knew all about Roronoa Zoro.

"I'm certain you'll find out one day," she cut him a severe stare back, "but not today."

His eyes narrowed –

"Oi, shitty swordsman, stop bothering this beautiful woman." And just like that, the mild tension evaporated. Blaize turned to go back to the others quickly before Zoro started asking more questions and made a mental note not to get cornered alone with him. The rest of the crew, including Ace, were all stood over a map, just as the perverted cook and the moss head began fighting behind her.

"ANYWAY!" Yelled Nami, gaining everyone's attention, "Looks like you'll both be travelling with us for a little while."

What? When did this happen? _Pay attention more and maybe you won't have these problems..._She mentally slapped herself and asked Ace what the hell she'd missed. As he explained Luffy started hyperventilating with excitement beside her.

"With you guys along, this'll be a cinch!"

"Mean's you won't have to ride on my back anymore at least," Ace finished with a smirk. Rolling her eyes she resigned herself to the situation; she had to admit, she much preferred this arrangement to the previous one. This way maybe she'd at least get some space. She shrugged her agreement and Luffy grinned madly.

"Let's make it a fun trip, eh Ace!"

He shoved a drink into her hand just as everyone cheered together...and cheered...and cheered...did she say space? A sinking feeling weighed uncomfortably in her stomach. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

There was something vastly beautiful about a clear night out on the ocean. It seemed so endless and impossible. It made everyday problems shrink away and eased the weight of huge ones. For the first time in several weeks, Blaize felt at peace as she looked out from the crow's nest.

It was so strange, being around so many people all at once. And the questions they asked! She'd never felt so probed in her life. But they hadn't asked out of suspicion or interrogation, they genuinely wanted to know about her. For one they had a lot of questions about her old man, mostly why she'd chosen to venture out on her own, to which she'd skilfully avoided answering fully, under the watchful eye of Zoro. They'd managed to get at least one story out of her but then Luffy took over. He must have retold the story of how her father saved him at least eight times and by then end Shanks had turned into a sea king himself...

At one point she thought about asking them if they'd seen the man she was looking for, as she had thought of doing with Ace back in the restaurant that morning but decided against it. There would be time for that before they parted ways.

Speaking of the fire caster, he'd surprised her once again that evening. Ever cocky but polite, he'd chosen to sit next to her just as Sanji was about to, instigating an amusing display from the perverted cook and a sly wink from Ace. He confused her. Usually she was a fantastic read of character and some things she'd picked up on right away, like how he cared for his brother, how he clearly had manners where needed and how he seemed to have great pride in his captain and crew...but then there was the flipside. He was arrogant, reckless, clumsy, a thief among other unsavoury things which went with being a pirate and he seemed to enjoy a good fight no matter how out of hand it got. And he'd ask if she wanted a ride. Maybe it was just her imagination from not being very close with people often but it hadn't seemed to her that he asked purely to be polite. Something in his eyes –

"Can't sleep?"

She looked up with a jolt, to see none other than the devil himself just a few inches from her face. His bare arms were taught, hanging from the rigging beside the crow's nest and Blaize briefly worried how in the hell he'd slipped under her radar so seamlessly. He swung down smoothly as a pleasant breeze caught her now loose hair, blowing it all over her face. Again she thought about how much it needed a damned cut.

"What are you doing up?" She asked once her hair was scrapped back over her shoulder. It came out a little harsher than intended; it felt as if she'd been caught in some way and it was a feeling she loathed.

"What up awake or up here?" He retorted playfully.

"Awake." the night sky suddenly became doubly interesting, much more so than the warm body next to her.

"I sleep enough when I don't want to. I don't like wasting more time asleep than I have to." She had to hold in a chuckle remembering this morning, "what about you? Not tired?"

"I don't like sleeping around other people Ace." A wave of warmth spread through her chest. Was that the first time she'd used his name? Crinkles caught in her brow; why did that even matter?

Ace was silent for a while.

"No one would ever hurt you on this ship Blaize," Oh but she liked how he said her name back. Damn it. Teeth caught her bottom lip unconsciously.

"I know that. But I can't promise the same from me," she felt him flinch so quickly added, "If I sleep."

The moonlight slid down his cheek as he turned to her fully, a frown marring his handsome face. As uncomfortable as it was, for whatever reason she couldn't deduce, she kept eye contact with him as she clarified.

"My devil fruit doesn't behave if I have nightmares." And for as long as she could remember, she'd always had nightmares, "I won't risk people lives just for the sake of a good night's sleep." Not again. Never again.

The fire pirate beside her closed his eyes briefly, a flicker of understanding passing over before he came back to her with a pleasant smile. "That can't be easy."

"At least I don't have narcolepsy," she added dryly earning a sharp laugh from him.

"Right, I forgot you were in the restaurant this morning. It's a pain in my ass that."

A smile flickered on her lips before a thought softly entered her head, "You don't hurt other people because of something you can't control though."

"I have done," he remarked quietly, "in the past."

Blaize met dark eyes, dark eyes matching her own in so many ways more than just colour. She believed him. She wouldn't ask. Just like she knew he wouldn't either. She did want to know something though.

"Can I ask you something?" Her voice was still quiet on the clear, crisp night wind. Ace nodded, his hair brushed his brow. The ship rocked gently beneath them so that their knees bumped momentarily making them both jump a fraction. Heart thumping, Blaize tried in vain to collect herself.

"Why did you ask me to ride along with you?"

This time it was Ace's turn to look away for whatever reason, "you were going the same way as me. It would've been rude of me not to offer." He said quickly. Something like disappointment flashed through Blaize; honestly what more had she expected. She looked back when he suddenly let out a low sigh.

"No...That's not the whole truth if I'm honest, but I'm a little afraid you'll blast me sky high if I –" He met her eyes. "You interest me." The boat rocked, their knees bumped, neither flinched this time.

"I interest you?" He nodded, tensing slightly; "in what way?" for some reason she couldn't inject enough ice into her tone. Ace held up his hands quickly, eyes wide.

"No! I mean, not like that, I would never try anything I swear." He slumped and ran a hand through his dark locks, "I'm not really sure how to explain it...you just interest me." He glanced up ruefully and flinched under her glare. But it was wavering with uncertainty.

"No one's...ever been, interested in me before. Not for a very long time at least." Not since she'd gotten her devil fruit.

"I have a feeling there are plenty who are, you just fail to notice."

"Then why don't they tell me like you just did?"

"That glare for one, it can scare the shit out of people." He smirked, putting her at ease a little.

"And what? It doesn't scare you?"

He cast her a playful smile, "oh I'm shitting myself believe me."

That pulled a rare laugh from her, "you clearly have a death wish...but, thank you," A breeze caught her hair, "for not running. I don't generally like people close to me. But I don't seem to mind you."

A tip of his hat and a wide grin proceeded a heavily sarcastic comment, "don't mind me, that's the best compliment I've ever received!"

"Be grateful Fire Fist" she glared, but it lacked its usual strength. Then something seemed to catch his attention over her shoulder making him smile. She turned the way he was looking, "what?"

A tug of her hair brought her sharply back round, very close to the face of Fire Fist Ace. "You look different with your hair down." He was close, so very, very close. Her heart kicked up a gear. He moved his gaze to her face, "so different...or maybe it'sss..." he leaned in, eyes closed...and slumped heavily down on top of her.

"Ugh, gawd!" Blaize exclaimed, heaving the hefty man off of her before they both fell off the crow's nest. Perhaps having insomnia wasn't so bad after all. Still shocked at his sudden collapse she gently placed the unnaturally warm man down and couldn't help but look at his peaceful, ever so handsome face. Unguarded he looked years younger. He couldn't be more than twenty, only three years older than Luffy she remembered hearing at the dinner table and yet he seemed so much older; though most people would compared to the manic captain she mused dryly. She brushed a stray hair off his face and settled back down next to him. Up this high he could easily fall and she wouldn't be sleeping tonight. If anything her fucked up heart was beating to erratically.

* * *

_I will update soon, until then reviews are MUCH appreciated._

_Thanks for reading._


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello there, here's a chapter with a bit more bite. Will build much more from here onwards now that set up is over. _

_I loved your reviews so far thank you so much!_

_And just to clarify, Shanks is her father, not her uncle. I haven't said who her uncle is yet..._

_Enjoy_

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**Pleasant Sensations and Terrible Dreams**

When morning finally broke over the horizon and Ace still wasn't showing any signs of waking, Blaize called down to the first person she saw up and about for help. It just so happened to be Zoro. _Shit._

"Oi, what's up?" He asked, and then noticed the chest bare man snoring beside her, "Eh? He pass out up here or something?"

"Yeah or something, will you help me get him down?"

With a grunt the moss headed swordsman hoisted Luffy's brother up onto his shoulder and descended with ease. He placed him none too gently against the mast before turning to Blaize just as her feet touched deck. _'Note to self, don't get caught alone with the green swordsman'_ she scolded herself for not checking first before yelling.

"Yes?" She rounded on him tersely.

"How did you come by those swords?"

He really wanted to know? Fine, "my uncle gave them to me when I turned eleven, right before he tried to kill my father."

Zoro frowned, "didn't know Shanks had a brother."

"Oh he doesn't, at least not as far as I'm aware."

The hot morning air did nothing to defuse the growing tension, "you said you're looking for your uncle?"

She nodded in response, a cold glare flickering dangerously in her dark eyes. Zoro held his ground however unflinching.

"There's only one person I can think of who'd be in possession of _two_ Shodai Kitetsu katanas."

"Just ask me what I know you're thinking Roronoa."

"Who's your uncle?"

Very clearly, she held his gaze and said the name he'd already guessed. A wide grin spread slowly across Zoro's face.

"Will you give him a message from me when you find him?"

"Sure."

...

She managed to avoid seeing anyone else for most of the morning until Nami caught her in the hallway below deck, a sack slung over her shoulder.

"Oh hey, you're just who I was looking for."

"Really?"

Nami smiled and beckoned her into a room a few doors down. Maps covered every surface, the table, walls, even the floor in places. A small bed was in one corner, full of cushions and there were various chests and shelves full of odd assortments. A few pictures scattered the walls in the spaces not covered by maps and the table had some unusual tools and drawing utensils; Nami's room, not hard to deduce.

"I saw that you only carried a really small sack with you, not much room for clothes right?"

"Um..."

"So I was thinking you could do with some more and I have far too many that I've grown out of." Blaize's eye twitched, "and you're so small...I mean, no offense," she added, suddenly sweating under the cool glare. "Ah ha ha, well, I also thought we seemed fairly close in measurements up top too, and I know how hard it can be to find clothes that fit."

She shrugged nervously. Nothing about this seemed off...unless, "are you looking for payment?"

"Well I mean if yo – " her eyes shifted to the door for a split second, "No, no, of course not. None of them fit me so they'd just end up getting thrown out." This looked like it pained her a little. Warmth prickled the back of Blaize's neck. A pleasant shiver ran down her spine. With a frown she cast a quick glance over her shoulder to the doorway. Empty...

"If you're sure..." She replied hesitantly. Nami's tight grin belayed her as she handed over the large sack.

"I need to go check our position, but you can use my room to try anything on if you need to." This offer at least, did seem genuine. She left in a sweep of orange hair and jangles closing the door behind her.

Cautiously Blaize opened the sack and began to look through. "Oh god..." these clothes, they were so, so, "girlish." she groaned. Still, perhaps she could salvage something. Her wardrobe really was in need of replenishment.

...

The full length mirror in Nami's provided an unwelcome view of how the clothes looked on her. Most were completely unusable, and hardly any came without showing a good amount of cleavage, including what she had on now. Soft, pretty green satin material crisscrossed around her neck and over her heavy breasts securely, unembellished, just plain and simple. Matching it were a pair of belly-dancer trousers and some black sandals. Nothing else, she didn't like jewellery. Still, this showed a lot more skin than usual, her entire stomach and most of her back and her breasts...god.

She took one more over view of herself in the mirror; dark red hair fell in untamed waves and curls down her back, over lightly sun-kissed skin and brushed at high cheek bones and black, almond shaped eyes. No freckles on her creamy skin, just a few scars, the worst being her right shoulder, and a black, spiralling sun tattoo just below her neck. It would do.

A knock on the door interrupted her just as she had finished folding the last of the clothes she intended to take. "Come in Nami, I'm pretty much done. Thank you for - Oh"

It wasn't Nami. Ace stood there, his half naked body filling the small doorway. Blaize watched frozen as his eyes swept over her with scorching intensity. The room was too hot suddenly; she could feel sweat beading on her bare skin. Ace locked on her dark eyes.

"And you say I'm a distraction." _Fuck, _his voice was like nothing she'd ever heard from him before. It was deep and rough, licking at her insides like flames.

"I never said that," hers wasn't much different. Did it have the same effect? A blush threatened to engulf her and she furiously fought it down. She was too warm. He wasn't helping just standing there, muscles bare and so well defined. She had a sudden, unwelcome thought.

"Were you looking for Nami?" She asked quietly; this was her room after all.

"No," Blaize let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, "I was looking for you." he said, his voice so low and tight. He twitched, rocked on his feet ever so slightly.

"What for?" Oh god, she couldn't look away from those eyes, half lidded but so sharply focused on her. What the hell was this feeling? She could barely breathe. Fire swept through her veins, the whole room seemed to shrink down to just his sharp, intense gaze. He took a step towards her and Blaize felt her throat constrict. Another hesitant step closer, then another and another, each more sure than the next until he was stood just a few inches from where she stood, rooted to the spot. His scolding hot presence pressed in on her. The air between them seemed to vibrate with tension.

"I – don't remember." He muttered. Unwittingly her eyes focused on his lips. They looked so... delicious... "Blaize" Ace damn near growled...

"BLAIZE-SWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Ace snapped away quicker than she could blink.

"Oh there you are Blaize-swan! OOOOH you look so beautiful! So beautiful! How can one woman look so lovely..." Sanji continued on, oblivious to the neck breaking tension still filling the tiny room. "I was wondering where you were, I asked Mr. Ace here to inform you of breakfast."

"Ah, sorry," Ace suddenly smiled politely and turned from her completely, "we got talking about the journey and I completely forgot." He lied, albeit apologetically.

"That's alright, just come up before your brother steals it all. I can only hold him off for so long," Sanji went to leave, "I'm only human after all," he muttered. Ace chuckled forcefully until Sanji's footsteps were gone.

He didn't turn around, "my brother can be a lot of trouble, I better go up and help."

"Sure," was all she could manage. He waited half a heartbeat and Blaize fully expected him to just leave, but Fire Fist Ace surprised her yet again. He turned back, walked right up to her and offered her a hand.

"Can I help with your new luggage first though?" His voice was still tight, but the roughness was gone and he was smiling pleasantly. Blaize felt her taught body relax and with a soft sigh and she gave him a rare smile.

"That'd be great, thank you."

...

When Ace handed Blaize a spare cloak to cover herself up from the sun Sanji almost had a heart attack. She thanked him whilst the poor cook spotted Nami and Vivi's choice of clothing too and proceeded to roll around haplessly on the floor.

"Thank you."

Ace smiled; it didn't slip her notice that he stood a little closer than before. He was so much taller than her as well.

After a small delay concerning Luffy acquiring some weird new friends, they set off into the baking hot desert. Blaize kept her scarf low over her eyes as the blistering sunlight threatened to blind her. They were headed for Yuba, where Ace's informant was and supposedly, the rebel army of Arabasta. Her own lead was a little further on but not too far from the other's destination. In fact it didn't take long to reach the first signs of a town...or what used to be a town.

"Oh my god..." The whole place was a sack of rubble, covered in sand. It was dead.

"What's this?" asked Zoro coming up beside her "is this Yuba?"

"No," Viva looked on, and for the first time, there was nothing sweet about her face; she was strong. "This is Erumalu. It was once known as the Green City." She told them all how this had happened, how everything had gone so wrong in Arabasta. Blaize had had no idea how bad things were. It was horrible. This was no way to live and the princess _was_ a brave woman to be fighting against such fierce foes.

"The cities were abandoned...and then, the Green City came to ruin." She finished, stopping in the middle of the ruins. Blaize wasn't good at comforting anyone, so she didn't try, but her eyes blazed with fury. They didn't deserve this.

Very discreetly a wind picked up under foot. Unremarked at first as everyone pondered Vivi's words it grew and grew until it buffeted the group wildly. A noise like nothing she'd ever heard kicked up with it. Moaning cries reverberated off the ruins, carried by the harsh winds. It seemed to send the crew's imagination a little array.

"What is that?"

"Are those people? Is it the Rebel Army?"

"Could it be assassins from Baroque Works!?"

Ace shook his head calmly, "Nah. It's just the wind."

"They sound like voices." Shouted Luffy.

"I can hear them all around us! What should we do?" Usopp nervously wrung his hands.

"It's nothing dangerous." Blaize remarked, "The winds are passing through the town and reverberating among the building ruins."

Despite her calm words, she dug in her feet harder as the wind picked up around them. It threw off her scarf just before doing the same to Vivi's and she winced against the direct sunlight.

"It's as if the city of Erumalu is crying!" the princess sobbed.

Oh god, this wind was _not_ natural! A great gust of sand and dust hurtled towards them with frightening force. She hadn't slept in three days and while walking was fine, holding herself up against something like this was exhausting. It hit them full force and Blaize felt her legs go out from under her.

"Ah!" She gasped, but it was lost to the cries of the others and the tremendous moans of the wind. It battered her relentlessly, knocking sand and grit against her exposed face. Suddenly, someone stooped down and pulled her into a shielded embrace, protecting her from the onslaught. They pulled their robe up and around them both, effectively blocking the brunt of it, and hunkered down until it passed. And it did pass...Blaize's heart still thumped in panic though; she was fading.

"Man, what kind of wind was _that_?" She heard someone ask, but it seemed faint and far away.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ace asked quietly as he pulled away from her, his brow deeply furrowed.

"There's someone lying there!" Cried Nami; no, please don't pull attention to this. But the others ran away from where Ace had her propped up. Only Sanji stayed behind, looking for once, very serious. He crouched down behind Ace.

"Miss Shanks? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Blaize when was the last time you slept?" Asked Ace very seriously; no, NO, she couldn't fall asleep! Not here, not around other people.

"Please..." she whispered, her lips weren't cooperating, "please don't...let me...sleep..." Her whole body gave out but Ace caught her, supporting her against his chest. "No...Ace...don't..."

"It's alright," she could feel his voice vibrating against her cheek; "I won't let anything happen. You have my word."

Whether he would be able to defend the others from her or not, she didn't have a choice as blackness enveloped her whole.

...

_She couldn't go home. But she was so cold, so alone. NO! No one missed her; they would kill her if she went back. Oh god...she could hear their screams. Screaming, roaring and crying fervently rose around her, swirling, getting louder no matter how much she tried to block her ears. She was so cold...and no one loved or missed her. Why would they, how could they. She could breathe or die and no one would care. She couldn't breathe though. They were screaming so loudly, so high pitched. It cut her. She couldn't move! Something was trapping her! She screamed as everything began to get too hot. Everything was so black but she could hear flames crackling above the screams. She pushed and pushed at the heavy weight trapping her. With a thump it rolled, and she could move...she could see; she could see what – who had been trapping her. Her heart crumbled and a horrific cry tore her throat apart..._

She jolted awake, heart pounding painfully hard, sweat beading on her skin. Where the hell was she! How could she have let herself fall asleep!

"Oi, oi, you're finally awake, I was beginning to worry."

She whipped her head up to see Ace's pleasant face looking down at her. As reality crept back into her foggy brain she realised she was lying curled up against his side, her head in his lap, his arm rested lightly over her small body. She jumped back as if she'd been shocked and instantly regretted it. It was night and the desert was frigid and Ace was very, very warm. The shivers began almost immediately.

"I fell asleep," she whispered, pulling back again when he moved to follow her, despite the cold, "What did I do? Is everyone...are they..."

"Everyone's fine. You've slept soundly, until just now." He said calmly.

"Did blow anything up?" She sounded so small.

He hesitated and she felt her knees go weak, "Not exactly." He reassured her quickly, "Your hands started to heat up just now but...I held them. My fire just absorbed the energy. I told you I wouldn't let anything happen."

At first her brain couldn't process what he'd said. Panic still swirled in her blood, slowing her understanding; but eventually... "You stopped my devil fruit?"

He smirked softly, "I suppose. We have such similar fruits I had a feeling we might cancel each other out. Besides, you're not around weak civilians anymore. You're not risking lives out here."

Still unable to accept this she covered her face in anguish, "But I could've so easily hurt som –"

"Don't, you were never a danger to anyone" He cut across firmly. How could he have been so certain? Why hadn't he run a mile as soon as she'd fallen asleep? She shook her head, not understanding this man at all.

"Why didn't you run?" She whispered, almost angry; he obviously didn't fully understand the danger she'd put everyone in. "What if you'd fallen asleep too! Then who would've stopped me?" She _was_ angry, at herself and at him. He regarded her silently for a moment, before looking to the tents around the camp.

"No one here is weak. If they'd seen something was about to happen, they would've been able to handle it. Please, relax, you didn't hurt anyone Blaize."

He held her gaze firmly until it finally hit her; she'd fallen asleep and everyone was still alive and unharmed. Relief poured down her spine.

"You're an idiot Portgas D Ace." She said weakly. He chuckled and got up; she didn't back away this time. Even when his arms wrapped around her she didn't fight the rare human contact, instead sinking into his warm hug.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Anytime." He murmured his chin resting gently atop her head.

An icy chill blew through the camp, fluttering the tents. Blaize unconsciously pulled him closer, seeking his amazing warmth. One would think, with such similar devil fruits she might possess the same warmth. However if she tried to warm herself up using her power, she'd either blow up or scorch people when the touched her. See, Ace could still use his for good.

A chill nothing to do with the frozen wasteland slivered down her spine. She remembered her nightmare. She wanted to cry but she'd never cried in front of anyone and she wasn't about to start now. Still, she couldn't suppress the shiver and it was enough to catch Ace's attention.

"You ok?" He asked, pulling back but not letting go completely.

No, in truth she was still shaken from falling asleep, but she nodded and pulled on her mask. Every bit of emotional turmoil was instantly hidden from the outside world, away from the young man in front of her; the young man very much in front of her. As if both realising how they were at the same moment they pulled away as quickly, but casually as possible. They both sat down but without Ace's warmth, Blaize began to shiver instantly. With a sigh he pulled her against his side, hushing her protests.

"You'll freeze." He said simply.

"Maybe I'd rather freeze." She grumbled.

"Ah! There you are; I was beginning to wonder."

"Don't be facetious."

He laughed, a deep rumble which she felt reverberate through her pleasantly. A comfortable silence fell between them. Blaize closed her eyes and tilted her head against his shoulder tentatively; she was still so tired.

"It's alright," He murmured as if reading her thoughts, "if you need to sleep go ahead, I'll be here."

"And if your narcolepsy hits?" She retorted.

"I'll pinch you."

She sighed tiredly, "I can't take the risk Ac –"

"Sleep." He commandeered. "You protected me last night, now let me return the favour."

Blaize started and looked up. He was smiling beneath his pulled down hat, "what, you think I didn't know about that?"

Shaking her head she gave up and settled down against him. She wouldn't sleep; she'd just rest her eyes for a few moments to preserve her energy. "Who said I was saving you Portgas? Maybe I just wanted to sit and watch the stars all night." She mumbled and felt him smirk.

"If you want to watch real stars just look up."

She did and gasped. She sat up under his arm, eyes wide, taking in the magnificent sight above her. As far as her eyes could see, there was a blanket full of billions and billions of bright stars, stretching across the night sky in a wide arching dome. This was not the first time she'd seen a sight like this, but it was something she never got used to and one of the reasons she loved to travel far from civilisation, into untouched waters and wilds.

"Would you like to move into a tent?" He asked, the corners of his lips twitching. She shook her head.

"Later."

"I need to ask your permission then."

"Hmm?" She turned to look up at him. A familiar tingling squirmed in her stomach. His eyes were in shadow but they were focused directly on her; and they were burning again.

"There's only one tent left." She frowned not really sure what he was getting at. "I need your permission to enter with you, if you do fall asleep." _Oh...well, hadn't they slept side by side already? Technically it was no different. _Then why did it make her heart flip? Oh pull yourself together!

"That's fine Portgas, just keep to your own side." She said frigidly. He tipped his hat in response and began to draw away, "Not now!" she cried. A hand clamped down on her mouth and she looked at Ace, shocked.

"You'll wake everyone, I was only kidding." _DONK!_ "Ah! Sss" He withdrew his hand and hissed, rubbing the spot she'd thwacked.

"Don't ever do that again."

He chuckled roughly, but offered her his arm again. She said nothing, just settled back onto Ace's shoulder and watched the stars until her eyes couldn't stay open a minute more and Ace's soft humming rocked her close to sleep again.

"Ace."

"Mm?"

"You don't have to sleep on the other side of the tent..." She said sleepily. He shifted beside her. His head came to rest on top of hers.

"Good," he murmered, "I wasn't planning to." And with that, she fell into a sweet, dreamless sleep. Well...not quite dreamless...

* * *

_Next chapter will be an M so buckle up._

_Please let me know if anything's not clear up to this point. Of course it could be I just haven't revealed it yet ;)_

_Review, review, review! I read every single one!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi there everyone, thank you _SO_ much for the reviews, you're all amazing for it!_

_I've read your questions and I promise, they will be answered, it will all make sense and hopefully match up to the official one piece storyline and timeline...with my own spin. In answer to one now, yes I did originally get the idea for her devil fruit from gambit HOWEVER, it will go much further than what you might think now..._

_This is where the steam starts ;) enjoy..._

* * *

_**Misunderstanding and Giant Purple Lizards**_

_Black eyes blazed with unmistakable desire. "I want you." He said, his voice dripping with deep, rough lust. Long fingers danced over her naked body, trailing up her taut stomach to her heavy breasts. He cupped and squeezed the soft flesh and Blaize felt a moan escaped her. _

"_Do that again," he growled, bringing scorching hot lips to her hard peaks. She cried out as his tongue set her nerves on fire, flicking over the little bubs, nipping them, sending electric pulses straight to her groin. "Oh God! Ace!" She gasped._

"_Blaize." The way he said her name made her melt. His beautiful, naked body pressed firmly against hers, especially his rock, hard member._

"_Ah! Ace..." _

"_Yes Blaize?"_

"_Please..." _

"_What? What do you need?" He asked, his dark eyes burning into hers. He rubbed the head tantalizingly up and down her wet lips._

"_You." She moaned softly._

"_Blaize..." She could only pant as he slowly pushed into her tight walls, "Blaize...?"_

"Blaize?"

"Mm what?"

"Blaize, wake up."

_Wait what...?_ Slowly she felt herself being dragged away from the vivid sexual dream and into sharp, sweating heat of reality.

"Blaize?" His voice was still there...not a dream. She jerked up. "Ah, you're awake."

She looked over her shoulder, to find a very real Ace right behind her, one arm slung casually across her hip, the other propping up his head. Images from her dream flashed before her eyes and an unwelcome heat spread up her cheeks.

"Good morning," he said politely, "sorry to wake you but you were becoming restless again."

_Just how restless? _"Sorry," she swallowed hard, "did I...say anything in my sleep?"

He gave her an odd look, "not particularly, but you were moaning a lot? Was it another nightmare?"

"No." She mumbled. A polite smile graced his face.

"Thought not, you didn't try and blow me up." That was a joke? He didn't flinch under her glare, which was annoying. She extracted herself from his heavy arm and scrambled out of the tent, albeit not as gracefully as she would've liked.

"LUFFY! That's dangerous! Throw it away!"

"No! I'm not gonna waste it!" He whined.

Blaize looked around in the soft morning light to find Ace's brother holding a scorpion up by the tail. How this boy managed to stay alive was beyond her...

"Luffy its poison is deadly! If it stings you, you'll die!" a very flustered Vivi panicked.

"What, I can't eat it?" he asked, seriously perturbed. "Oh well, you can have it." He swung it at Usopp and Chopper, both of whom screamed at him.

"Then I'll toss it." He sighed.

Vivi relaxed, "I'm so sorry. I should have told you."

A soft frown found its way into Blaize's eyes. It was windier today, which didn't help the heat at all, just spread more sand to an ever growing list of inconvenient places. Ace appeared from their tent but didn't go to her. Instead he looked out over the dunes, a wide grin on his face. Blaize followed his line of vision; _oh shit_. A massive wall of tumultuous sand was ripping its way across the desert towards them.

"Not this again," she groaned.

Vivi's face suddenly split in panic. "Everyone! Take cover under the rocks!"

Blaize moved quickly to Ace's side to get a better view. The spinning walls of sand stretched right up to the sky. She cast Ace a worried glance and did a double take, "Why the hell are you grinning?" She yelled.

"A storm! A sandstorm is coming!" Cried Vivi.

Just as it hit their camp, she saw Ace's eyelids droop...and close. She lunged for him as he went crashing down. Using her body to shield his exposed face from the onslaught she stayed as low as possible without suffocating him.

"I forgot to mention it before, but sandstorms are one of the many dangers of the desert!" Vivi shouted before the storm engulfed them.

"TELL US THINGS SOONER!"

Blaize couldn't agree more. Solid waves of sand tore through the camp, burying everyone with it. As darkness swallowed up her up and the sand began to weigh down Blaize tried to stay calm, but she couldn't help the rising panic in her gut; it was all too familiar.

...

She threw herself up and took a huge gulp of air. Sand cascaded out of every part of her body. _Wonderful._ She moved back as Ace awoke beneath her with a yawn. He looked a little surprised to see her but offered a sheepish smile; something about it was off...He turned to survey the camp and quickly got up to help Vivi out of the sand. An unpleasant feeling stabbed at her chest. It startled her. She blinked and looked away, more than a little confused but pushed the peculiar feeling away; she had bigger things to think about.

"What the hell was that?" asked Zoro as he appeared from the sand with a frown rivalling her own.

"We were all asleep..." he looked very confused. Blaize went over and offered him a hand. This only seemed to confuse him more, but he took it and she hauled him up.

"Sandstorm."

"Damn it," he growled and looked around the destroyed camp. "Everyone ok?"

A chorus of replies confirmed no one to be dead or injured. "We need to get moving then. Oi love cook, help me get our supplies together."

"Of course we do shitty swordsman, you don't have tell me." He muttered away from where he was helping Nami up.

"Hey," Blaize glanced over to see the swordsman looking at her with a slight scowl of something resembling concern, "are you alri –"

"I'm fine," she muttered. She went to help gather what was left of the camp, trying to ignore the funny feeling in her stomach. The worst thing of all was not knowing the reason for it, but she had an incline it had something to do with how Ace was helping Vivi out with her tent. But that didn't make any sense...

...

Well, they'd made it to the next outcrop...but the Captain had lost all of their supplies to a bunch of birds...she really tried not to entertain her thoughts of killing him.

"We're not exactly going to die of hunger." Zoro reasoned, "Let's just forget about the whole thing."

Easy for him to say, he could probably survive very well without food and water. At least she'd slept well last night; that would help keep her going. The rest of the crew did not share Zoro's sentiments however, particularly Sanji who was throttling Luffy.

And then of course when the captain spotted the birds again he ran off after them...idiot.

"LUFFY! COME BACK!"

"How will you find your way back!?"

"STOP!"

Nami stomped her foot in frustration, "ARGH! Now what? That IDIOT!" She carried on ranting while Vivi tried to calm her.

"Best we can do is wait it out; he'll come back." Zoro slumped down against a bolder and closed his eyes. Ace took a seat himself with a clear view of the direction Luffy had taken off in, "Yeah you're right. Nothing but trouble is he?" Everyone grumbled in agreement and went off to find a place to relax and wait until the wayward captain found his way back.

Blaize walked a little way off, putting some distance between herself and the rest of the crew. The high rocky walls of the outcrop were making her a little nervous. She didn't like being basically trapped here with other people in an unstable, dangerous environment. More than anything she wished she could do something, anything to ease the pulsing irritation in her chest. The only consolation of this situation was the shade. Grateful for the rest bite she removed her scarf and shrugged out of her cloak, laying it on the ground to sit on.

Why would anyone want to live in a place like this? Nothing but wide open wastelands, dangerous creatures and hostile weather...but wasn't the sea just like that? Perhaps, but at least the ocean was easier to travel on.

Footsteps warned her of someone approaching behind her, but she didn't bother turning to see who it was. A nerve twitch in her temple; she just wanted a few peaceful minutes to herself.

"Miss Blaize?"

Whoever she'd thought it might be, Sanji was not who she had expected at all for some reason. He bowed when she looked up, "May I?" gesturing to the space of ground beside her.

"Of course." This Sanji she could handle she mused; the calm gentlemanly kind. He sat cross legged and pulled out a cigarette and then offered her one. She didn't really smoke, only when she was drunk, or deeply annoyed, or stressed; in which case...

"Thank you." She thought about using her devil fruit to light it but decided against it; too risky. Instead she leaned in to Sanji's offered lighter.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He started, "When you collapsed yesterday you had everyone a little worried; especially Mr. Ace."

Blaize frowned, "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to be such a burden."

Sanji just shook his head and smiled, "you weren't. I offered to carry you but Ace insisted, claiming you were his guest. I think if it had been anyone else I wouldn't have allowed it, but since his manners rival even mine..." he smirked and took another drag. "How do you feel now?"

"Fine thank you," she mumbled. She hadn't realised Ace had carried her the entire day yesterday. Just because she was technically his guest? She needed to thank him but she wasn't sure how. For some reason she was too _shy_ to go and start up a conversation with him. Was that right? _SHY!?_ She did not get shy. The very word offended her. Annoyed or angry seemed much more likely; still...she finished her cigarette just as Sanji pulled out a canister of water.

"I'm glad," he said, offering her the drink which she took gratefully. She did feel a little more relaxed, but the frown was stuck stubbornly to her face. Sanji gave her an odd look; "a woman as young and beautiful as yourself should not be marred by frowns so often." He murmured.

"I'm not beautiful and I rarely feel young Mr. Sanji, so I think I perfectly qualify for frowns." She half joked back. He looked set to argue but at that moment Nami called to him and he excused himself, but not before saying very firmly, "you may not feel young Miss. Blaize, but you _are _beautiful. I do not think anyone would dispute that." She met his eyes steadily and though she found his words honest, she couldn't understand how he saw what he saw.

He switched entirely when he turned around, dashing over dramatically to see to Nami's need; "NAMI-SWAAAAAN..."

Blaize looked on after him, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye however, she saw Ace, who sat facing away from her, looking discreetly over his shoulder at the cook before his dark eyes flickered to her. He was _not _smiling. In fact he looked positively irritated. _What the...?_ He resumed watching the desert, turning away from her completely again, his posture hunched and uninviting. Very unlike the Ace she was used to seeing; perhaps the heat was getting to him after all.

After what felt like hours of waiting, there was still no sign of Luffy. Blaize had rejoined the crew after Vivi had asked if she wanted to sit with herself and Nami. She couldn't be annoyed at the princess, she was too nice. She wasn't even sure why she should be annoyed with the sweet girl.

"Looks like we've got no choice," announced Zoro, after they'd started to think Luffy had probably gotten lost after all.

"Guess you're right." Sanji got up to follow him.

Ace, who hadn't spoken for the entire duration of the wait, suddenly lifted his hat, "Sorry...my careless little brother needs a lot of looking after."

The two men smirked in agreement and set off...just as a huge rumble shook the ground and a cloud of sand rose up in the distance. That would probably be the captain then, she thought wryly. Whatever was causing the sand to fly up was moving towards them fast...

Usopp pulled down his lenses, taking a closer look and blanched, "Luffy!" _What a surprise._

"What's going on? Is he riding a camel!?" Exclaimed Vivi.

..."So, what's that thing chasing him?" Blaize asked, running a thumb over her sword hilt; this was the first time in so many weeks where she felt she might actually need them. Zoro did the same beside her.

"I can't make it out," he said, "but it looks like there's something underneath the sand!"

Oh good, she thought sarcastically, another fun thing from the desert. Out of the dust, just behind Luffy and his new found camel, a humungous purple monster rose up, jaws wide, teeth razor sharp.

Usopp and Chopper screamed, "IT'S HUGE!" and while Vivi and Nami wailed as well, Sanji's expression read _'I give up'_ and Zoro looked as pissed off as she felt.

"A great Sandora lizard!" Cried Vivi.

"W-w-what's that?!"

"It's the largest variety of all the desert reptiles! It awaits its prey under the cover of the sand. It has razor sharp claws and teeth but it rarely has a chance to use them. The reason being that they're so big, they almost always swallow their prey whole!"

..._Yay..._

"He's a genius when it comes to bringing trouble, isn't he?" Ace remarked from behind. Blaize turned and noticed he was still sat down, looking for all the world like he was discussing the weather. Evidently he was used to this...what must Luffy have been like to grow up with?! He caught her staring but didn't offer anything in return; just looked on blankly.

"Well, let's forget about the camel for the time being..." Sanji sighed, chucking his half finished cigarette. "Ladies, please excuse us –"

"Like hell," muttered Blaize when Nami and Vivi just nodded. She wasn't staying here to wait. She caught Ace shooting her a look from under his hat but ignored him.

"But, Miss Blaize..." Vivi stuttered. She unsheathed one of her swords effectively silencing any protests. Zoro smirked and drew one of his own swords, grumbling, "what star was I born under that gives me all this damn trouble?!"

They took off towards the massive beast closing in on their group fast.

"Luffy! Ready to take that thing out?" shouted Zoro, "We'll back you up!"

"Yeah, I brought us some meat!" He replied from the back of his camel. Blaize felt a nerve twitch; was he serious? "Here I come LIZARD! GOMU GOMU NOOOO"

Luffy launched himself, Sanji shot into the air, leg raised, Zoro swept back his swords and Blaize sent a charge through her blades. They all attacked at once and with the immense force of all their skills combined, including her final, fatal blast, the poor creature was sent it crashing down, without a hope in hell's chance of surviving.

Ah, it felt good to get some exercise – oh shit...

From behind them, in the outcrop where the rest of the group 'waited'/hid, another mountain of sand rose up, revealing a second lizard; right by Ace.

"ACE!"

"WATCH OUT!"

That idiot! She sprinted back along with Luffy and the others...and watched in horror as he jumped right into the monster's gigantic jaws. NO! She skidded to a stop by the rest of the group, ready to attack when...!

Flames burst out of every orifice the lizard had just before the entire thing was engulfed in a huge column of fire. Ace jumped away as what was left of the scorched beast keeled over, very much dead.

She'd kill him! He'd scared the living daylights out of her; in fact she was pretty certain her heart was still having palpitations!

Luffy laughed, "MEAT! SANJIIIIII!"

"I'm on it you DUMBASS!"

Everything seemed to settle; Sanji went about cutting off big chunks of meat and roasting it on the scorching rocks of the desert, just outside the outcrop, Vivi and Nami slumped down, clearly exhausted from the stress of what had just happened, along with Usopp and Chopper. Zoro brought up the camel...

Blaize wasn't listening, she was too busy fuming. Why!? Oh that's right, because he'd JUMPED INTO THE MOUTH OF A LIZARD! Never mind that he'd gotten out alive, you just don't DO that. She needed to let off some steam; she needed another bloody lizard to fight. Instead, she had to simmer and pray no one was stupid enough to rile her up even more.

She was so busy steaming that she didn't notice the bloody camel until it was right in her face.

"WAH!" she cried. She heard someone giggle and looked up to see Nami and Vivi on its back.

"Sorry we snuck up on you. Come on, you can ride with us!" Nami grinned, her hand held out for her to take. She, however, did not trust animals... She eyed the weird creature before giving Nami a wary smile.

"It's ok, I don't mind walking."

"Nonsense Miss. Blaize, you can't let your delicate feet spend another day walki –"

"I'm fine walking," she ground out as the now annoying cook dramatically swooned in front of her. She noticed Vivi look down at the camel doubtfully, as if she felt she should walk too. Nami however was already setting off.

"Ok, if you change your mind, let us know."

Everyone prepared to leave, now that they had food they could carry on without fear of going hungry. Blaize suddenly remembered her cloak and scarf and hurried back to fetch them from the far side of the outcrop.

"It's ok, I'll catch up," she shouted, because the camel had already taken off at a run and the others were panicking about getting lost. Sure enough she heard them sprint after the girls, shouting for them to slow down and stop. She wasn't too worried about losing them herself but she still ran back to where she'd left her stuff as quickly as possible.

Well, she assumed everyone had run off...

"Ready to go?"

She spun around to find Ace waiting for her, leaning casually against a bolder. Familiar but confusing annoyance flared in her belly. She suddenly realised she hadn't spoken to him since this morning in the tent, let alone been alone with him. All she'd had were silent glances, either blank or irritated...

"Why are you still here?"

"What do you mean?" Ace frowned.

"Why didn't you go ahead with the others?"

"Because," he walked closer to her, "I took you on as my passenger; I need to make sure you don't get left behind." He leaned down to pick up her sack.

She was so frustrated, and she couldn't understand why! Angrily she stomped past him, grabbing her sack back whilst simultaneously trying to put her cloak back on. It wasn't going very well but she continued to storm ahead. That was until a strong arm came around her waist and pulled her to a jerky halt.

"Hey!" She cried out, struggling in his solid grasp. He pulled her back unphased, spun her round by the shoulders and stopped her dead with a very, very serious stare.

"May ask why it is you're so angry with me?" He asked steadily.

_HER!? The nerve..._ "Why do you care, you haven't said a word to me all day. In fact you've barely even smiled." She tried to shrug off his hands but his grip was unwavering.

"And you've spoken to everyone _but_ me. Ever since this morning you've been glaring daggers at me!" His flare of anger startled her a little but she refused to let it show. Ace took a deep breath, but even though he appeared calmer, his jaw looked to be set in stone. "Is it because of what I said in the tent? If it is I'm sorry, I didn't mean –"

"No it's not that –"

"Well then was it because I fell asleep on you when the sandstorm hit?"

"You didn't fall asleep on me..."

This pulled him up short. "What?"

"You didn't fall asleep on me. You fell asleep just as it hit and you were completely exposed to the storm. I had to cover you or else you would have been suffocated!" He looked at her, stunned; she should have stopped there... "and then, you get up, without saying a word of thanks, and go off and help the princess!" There, that's where she should've stopped; but no, her mouth had other ideas, "and _then_, we lose all of our supplies, get attacked by a monster and YOU jump into the mouth of one of the lizards, giving _me_ a heart attack! All you've done today is glare at me, or stare blankly. What is it? Do you regret taking me on?" She was on a roll, "I don't even know why I care, OR why you care, I've barely known you more than a couple of days! I mean honestly, if I'd known any of this would've happened, I never would've agreed to come along!"

Silence. If she'd thought Ace looked stony before it was _nothing_ compared to how he looked now.

"Anything else?" He ground out.

Blaize took a shuddering breath, feeling all her pent up anger flood away, "yes," she whispered. "Yesterday, when I passed out you not only saved everyone from what I could've done, you also carried me the entire way and didn't even tell me so I could thank you."

Those dark eyes of his were blazing, "finished?" She nodded, "good." He gripped her chin firmly, making sure she couldn't look away from those burning eyes. Her stomach did about a million flips.

"I've been worried all day because I thought I hurt you this morning in some way, and I thought that if I gave you some space, you might come and shout at me and tell me what I did wrong. But instead, _you_ go and help the swordsman up, go off on your own and talk to the cook, stubbornly decide to fight a giant purple lizard monster and do nothing but glare at _me_ all day. I've been trying to read you all day and it's been impossible. I've been worried you regretted your decision to come with me and I guess you just gave me your answer." She felt an unpleasant wave shudder through her and already regretted what she'd said, "you asked me why I care? I don't know why. I met you...three days ago? And for some reason, you give me this weird feeling in my stomach and if you smile it's pleasant, but when you're frowning – which is most of the time – it turns into this awful sinking feeling." The storm in his gaze wavered, "and I hate it. But..." he searched her face, seeming lost. The air felt thick and heavy; it seemed to buzz between the two pirates and Blaize found she couldn't have looked away even if she'd been allowed to. "What are you doing to me?" he murmured, oh so close to her lips.

"You think you're the only one who feels it?" she whispered back. One look, that's all it took to confirm what she meant by what she said. A genuine smile graced his handsome face. He leaned in closer, inches away from her face.

"I'm sorry about today. I fucked up" He apologised. She felt so guilty; it had all been her stupid fault for causing the misunderstanding.

"No, I'm sorry, if I hadn –"

...Hot, soft lips brushed against hers, effectively shutting her up. Ace pulled back, looking as surprised by what he'd done as she was, but it only lasted a second before he delved back in, taking her mouth firmly once again with his own. His kiss was tentative at first but it quickly developed in passion and before she could think straight, her hands were on the back of his head, grasping at his hair to pull him closer as he slipped his hands down from her shoulders to pull her flush against his body. Ace kissed her with fervent need, his tongue flicking out to tease her bottom lip, sucking it hard and coxing her open to explore deeper. She offered little resistance as his tongue slid in over her own, melting under the intense heat he sent electric jolts through her body.

...it was only when his lips suddenly got _very_ hot that Blaize realised with horror what was about to happen; she barely withdrew the red blaze in time. Gasping for air, she pulled away but Ace held her in place. He let his forehead fall to hers as they panted to get their breath back.

"I'm sorry –" she started, lips trembling but he stopped her. His hand brushed against her cheek as he ran his thumb over her bottom lip.

"I'm not." He said roughly and caught her lips again before she could stop him. A million thoughts raced through her head, mainly blowing him up, but she could _not_ pull herself away from his blazing kiss. When she felt herself losing control again she tried to pull away but he held firm. She whimpered as she felt her lips blaze against his, panic rising in her throat...his tongue was on fire as it ran over her own...literally. He absorbed her scorching energy, setting her alight inside as he continued to kiss her with overpowering intensity; unharmed.

"Oh my –" she managed to gasp before they smashed together again, their two fires colliding wildly until... Ace pulled away, panting, "Shit! We need to go, otherwise we'll lose everyone." He groaned regretfully and then looked to her, a little worried "that's if you still want come with me?" he asked uncertainly.

Blaize looked back at him shocked and suddenly remembered the fight which had led them to this. It wasn't even a question, "of course I do." He grinned, "The others have all the food," she added dryly and Ace threw his head back laughing. They caught each other's eyes and the message was clear; neither of them had expected that to happen, but this wasn't the time for any lengthy conversation about it.

As they picked up their stuff to leave again, Blaize felt as if a thousand balloons were dancing around in her stomach happily. At the same time, a niggling thought in the back of her brain couldn't help but think of the possible consequences and complications this would inevitably lead to and a complete, blind panic threatened to consume her; but one confident smile from Ace sent that thought scurrying further into the recesses of her mind...how long it would stay there for...?

"You coming?" He called, hand outstretched for her...

... Of all the people she'd ever met, no one had ever made her feel safe about herself, in the way that he did. She was still numb with disbelief at how he'd kissed her. It was too dizzying to wrap her head around it now...So she took his hand and let consequences be damned...

* * *

_Well...? Need lots of reviews please if you want more where that came from._

_As always, I'll update asap while I have the time to._

_REVIEW!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Your reviews have been so wonderful to read, thank you so much. _

_And so we start on the path into Blaize's life...enjoy..._

* * *

_**More Stupid Purple Lizards and A Shack in the Middle of Nowhere**_

Five hours..._FIVE...FUCKING...HOURS..._and absolutely NO sign of the rest of the crew, or Yuba. She was hot and sweaty and she was pretty sure she was carrying half the desert in her fucking pants! Oh but at least the company was good...she mentally snarled at the man who's narcolepsy had hit about half an hour ago. Luckily, devil fruits came with additional strength, and she wasn't weak by any standards; but she was small. And dragging a tall, muscular man across the desert was fucking HARD! For the first time since she'd met him, Blaize actually wished the pirate was a skinny runt instead of the beautifully toned and incredibly _heavy_ numb nut that he was. If she had enough water left in her body to cry, she would – she really would.

"URGH!" She threw him down none too gently, and then collapsed beside him. "I'm gonna die in this stupid desert." She groaned. "And it's entirely your fucking fault!" She shouted at the unconscious man...to absolutely no avail.

The ground rumbled beneath her, "OH WHAT! WHAT NOW!" She yelled exasperatedly.

In answer to her scream a humungous scorpion rose up from the desert sands in front of her, its pincers gleaming in the bright sunlight, along with a deadly tail poised to strike;_ does everything in this stupid place live under the sand?_. Blaize gave the monster a bland, half lidded look as a nerve at her temple pulsed, alarmingly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" she said despondently. It didn't listen. The tail came down lightning fast, poisonous barb ready...and Blaize caught it between her fingers. "I told you," a red glow spread from where she held it, to all over its body, "not, to do that." She growled.

With a sizzle she let go and the creature exploded into the sky, roasted alive and in a million tiny pieces.

"Moron..."

With a yawn, Ace suddenly sat up. He blinked at the charred remains of the scorpion. "Eh? I pass out?"

"Yep."

"What the hell was that thing?"

"A scorpion."

He tilted his head to the side, as if unable to make it out from the few bits left. Then he glanced back at her with a wry smile, "Remind me never to piss you off." she quirked an eyebrow dangerously, but smirked and helped him to his feet.

They hadn't gotten much further before a smaller, but still purple, lizard, popped up out of nowhere in front of them.

Ace walked up to it, paused, then side stepped to get passed it; it copied. He did it again...the lizard followed. This, continued for quite some time until Ace got pissed and said, "You gonna get in our way too?" To which the lizard started crying...yes that's right, crying.

"This is why I hate animals," Blaize grumbled coldheartedly, ready to blast this desert nuisance too. Ace however, scratched his chin and tilted his head at the weeping lizard.

"I've got an idea."

...

"Blaize get on the lizard."

"Fuck off. I'm walking."

Ace let out a frustrated sigh, "Just get on the damn lizard! What's your problem?"

"Its eyes are too far apart."

"What kind of dumbass reason is that?"

She shot him a dangerous glare, "remember when you said what a good idea it would be to piss me off?" she asked sarcastically sweet, continuing to stomp ahead stubbornly of Ace and his stupid new pet; heat, sun and sand be damned! She was _NOT_ getting on that thing.

"Stubborn woman..." He groused.

"When you said you had an idea, I thought you meant we could _eat_ him, not _ride_ him."

The lizard wailed loudly.

"If you're hungry then GET ON THE LIZARD! The faster we get to a town the faster we can get food."

She crossed her arms, "no."

"Get on the liz –"

"NO!"

"BLAIZE GET O –"

"THERE'S NO FUCKING WA Y I'M GE –"

"OH YES YOU WI –"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO, NO, NO – AAAAGH MMM!"

She was suddenly lifted right off her feet by the irate pirate. With one strong arm, he held both her arms pinned to her side and with the other he muffled her violent screams. "Stop...struggling...!" They consequently fell of the lizard, crash landing in a flurry of sand and grit. Ace pinned her down using his body, but was careful not to add too much of his weight on her small, very volatile, form.

"Portgas D Ace! If you want to live another second, then let me g –"

His lips crashed down on hers, muffling all angry protests. His warm tongue pushed into her mouth and for a split second she actually contemplated biting down. But infuriatingly, she found herself melting to him instead. Once she'd calmed beneath him, his kiss became more tender, gently sucking and rolling his tongue with hers until he pulled back reluctantly, eyes full of mirth.

"Please?" He smiled politely, inches from her swollen lips. He was playing a dangerous game, but...

"_Fine_." She spat.

'Safely' seated behind him on the wide eyed lizard, arms in a death grip around Ace's waist, Blaize braced herself.

"I hope you know how much I hate you for this." She grumbled. He smirked ruefully but kicked it into a run, sending them flying across the desert...with her screams following.

...

Two narcoleptic fits had meant Blaize had to _deal_ with Ace's pet on her own, twice. Her nerves were twitching within the first five seconds the first time, when the stupid creature jerked to a halt as soon as Ace fell asleep. Getting him going again had been...trying. By the time night began to fall and there was still no sign of Luffy (or FOOD) her nerves were shredded. They'd shouted for Luffy and the others for as long as they could but right now finding a town of some sort was far more important. The lizard was warm from its day in the sun and Ace was always warm anyway, but as day turned to dusk and the winds iced over, the chill became gradually harder to ignore.

An eerie quiet fell over the desert as the sun went down and the sky melted into stark hues of beautiful reds and blues. Propping Ace between her arms she held the reins determinedly, trying very hard not to kick the lizard into a faster trot. It was probably pretty tired itself. The world was so desolate out here. Dust clouds blew off the high dunes, turning silvery with the full moon looming, as she took her place in the night sky. Very grateful for the sleep Ace had allowed her to have she was having no problems keeping her own eyes open. In fact sleep probably wouldn't take a hold for another four days or so.

Her companion stirred but didn't wake. However his head did flop back onto her shoulder, mouth hanging wide, hat threatening to fall off; _oh, so that's the reason for the strings!_ Blaize just chuckled softly. The last few days had certainly been...interesting – thrilling – terrifying...the list could go on and on, but she wouldn't change a single second of it. For so long she'd detached herself from society, unwilling to take the risk of being around anyone she might care about. But with Ace, the potent fear was nullified. This complex young man protected her from hurting others; nothing could've ever meant more to her...until he kissed her. That had been unexpected in more ways than one.

Faint lights gradually bled into the horizon ahead of them. A town?! Not really giving a shit about how tired the dumb lizard might be, she nudged it into a flapping sprint towards the possible salvation.

Upon seeing clear buildings and living, breathing HUMANS, Blaize almost wept with relief. Begrudgingly she admitted that riding the lizard was probably a fairly smart idea after all; but she'd be damned if she told Sir. Sleep-A-lot that. Entering civilization, Blaize set about finding a place for them to stay to await the others. That or figure out where they were and correct themselves. A bed for Ace would be a good idea too. Luckily she had a decent amount of money which she kept hidden on her person at all times, so it shouldn't be a problem.

...

"We don't take drunks." grunted a fat landlord who looked like a sweaty, pink walrus.

"Look," she growled, trying to remain as calm as possible, "we've spent all day crossing the desert on _that_ _THING_ over there," she pointed menacingly at the dim-witted lizard asleep outside, "this numbskull passed out from the heat" she shifted Ace higher on her shoulder where he was slung, dead to the world, "and we just need a room one for the night."

The landlord eyed Ace suspiciously before taking a leer at Blaize. _Don't draw your swords, don't blow him up..._she chanted in her head.

"One room, double the price for the two of you."

_Don't blow him up, DON'T blow him up, just smile and pay the fat ugly bastard – _She took the key, smiling as sweetly as physically possible – not easy at the best of times for her – and dragged a still very unconscious Ace upstairs to their tiny, one bedroom cupboard. She had a feeling food was not included but she didn't nearly trust the innkeeper enough to leave Ace here alone and vulnerable. A loud rumble told her how much her stomach protested against this but she squashed it down. She'd just have to wait until he woke up...Until then...Blaize carefully laid down next to him, mindful not to jolt the mattress too much. He didn't stir at first, but after a little while she felt his arm come up and wrapped around her waist snugly sending a familiar tingle down her spine.

In all of her nineteen years she'd been kissed before, of course, albeit briefly and clumsily and never lasting long enough or feeling good enough to illicit the kind of reaction Ace managed. In hindsight this was a very good thing, otherwise she could have a string of murders on her head just from kissing men. She'd never stayed long enough to let it go further anyway, always too afraid she'd eventually hurt them; or most likely kill them. But Ace...she wasn't afraid of hurting him because he could handle not only her distant attitude but also her incredibly destructive Devil Fruit power. And this feeling he ignited in her, it was insane. He made her heart flutter and hammer all at once, he made it impossible for her to stop smile and when he kissed her, she couldn't even process the simplest thought. Oh and_ god_ the heat he generated in her groin! That was something she could definitely be persuaded to explore further with him...but..._'no, not yet. Don't think too hard about what this thing between you is yet. Just enjoy it.'_

She stayed awake that night, not closing her eyes for a second. As always with this man though, it was one of the most peaceful nights she'd ever experienced.

...

A few days later, having at last found the others, they'd helped Vivi deal with some problem in town, received a large gift of food and water and said a 'tearful' (gleeful) goodbye to the stupid purple lizard. Ace and Blaize walked with the Straw Hat crew once again, under the blazing heat of the perpetual sunlight. Four days after leaving the town, Blaize had had to spend the night a good distance away from the group, as Ace had passed out earlier in the day and hadn't recovered in time to help her. This, of course, meant telling someone in the group the real reason for her disappearance. Zoro had been the right choice; he simply told the others to butt out and didn't ask her any more questions than necessary. But sleeping without Ace's warmth and comforting presence had not been pleasant. She'd woken up in a gigantic hole of scorched sand and rock. At least no one had been hurt.

"Eh, we were so worried about you and Mr Ace, Miss. Blaize. We thought we'd lost you for good." Vivi exclaimed from up on the camel Blaize had point blank _refused_ to ride.

"Neh, we were fine, just got a little held up." She fought down a blush remembering exactly _what_ had held them up for so long. It had gone unsaid that for as long as they were in view of the others, they wouldn't reveal their new found 'affections' in any way.

She didn't really know if Ace was finding this hard or not, but she was fighting every second not grin wildly, or lean into his embrace, or kiss him. Resisting the urge to kiss him was especially difficult. She didn't know why; it hadn't been quite _this _intense when it had been just the two of them. But then, being restricted by the others being around seemed to make her need for him spike in potency. With all of these feelings bubbling up inside her, so new and alien, it was all a bit chaotic in her head at the moment; not unpleasantly so though. She just wasn't really sure what to think about it all...the only thing she was_ certain_ of, was that she wanted him, constantly. Again, she could only speak for herself but something about the way she kept catching Ace starring at her from out of the corner of her eye with that blistering intensity told her he might be finding this just as hard as she was.

They were a day away from Yuba, taking a short break in another secluded alcove of rocks, when Blaize decided to ask Nami if she could help her with her own short detour. "Eh, sure thing, what do you need?"

"Just some help with the directions. I have word that there's someone around here who could help me find who I'm looking for."

Nami nodded, knowing not to ask anymore about it and took out a map of the surrounding area. "Ok, we're here now, where was it you said this guy was?" Blaize pointed to where she'd roughly been directed, "oh ok, that's only about an hour and a half's walk from where we are right now." She proceeded to draw up an exact route to which Blaize thanked her gratefully.

She was just getting her stuff ready to go when someone grabbed her, pulled her behind one of the larger boulders and pinned her to the rock before anyone else had time to notice.

"Ace..." she breathed and then his was on her, kissing her with all the desperation and need she'd felt bottled up inside_ herself_ for the past few days.

"I missed this." He murmured happily, between taking her lips.

"Mm, it hasn't been easy to keep off my mind, I must admit." She managed to respond.

"I thought as much; you've been smiling when you haven't been trying very hard to keep your frown in place." He smirked. Her stomach did a double flip; firstly because she'd been caught, secondly because he'd been paying attention enough to catch her. "Eh, but I guess I've been just the same...I love it when you smile though" he admitted, eliciting a _not so_ rare grin from her.

Pulling back he cast a quick glance around, but they were still alone thankfully. His expression was so playful it made Blaize wonder what the hell he was thinking? She found out soon enough...sort of.

"So, you'll be coming back after you see this guy about your uncle right?" He asked casually, hands on her hips.

"I suppose," she said uncertainly. She hadn't really thought past her current mission; she hadn't wanted to in case it meant leaving a certain rogue pirate.

"Good." He smiled cockily. "Depending on what you hear, I have a question for you when you get back."

"Which might be...?" She tried wryly, but he didn't say anymore. However, a serious glint flickered in his eyes for a second before he leaned in very close, his hot lips brushed against her ear as he pulled her body against his snugly. She shivered involuntarily.

"Be careful Blaize," he commanded in a low, rough voice, making her heart skip a beat.

...

Blaize pushed back her hood a little and starred in disbelief at what lay before her. Nestled between two large, jagged rocks was a shabby little hut, with bits falling off all over the place and a busted up front door, half hanging off the hinges.

She took a look around; she couldn't exactly get the wrong address out here in the middle of nowhere...There was nothing else even resembling a building for miles.

"This must be it..." she muttered dubiously. She took one more glance at the small piece of paper with a name, address and _'close, personal friend'_ written on it, before she tucked it back into her cloak and walked over.

_Knock, knock, knock! _

_Cough, cough!_ "Urgh god!" Great plumes of dust came off the old wooden door, swarming the warm air around her face. No response. "Hello?! Mr. Gnutt?"

"Oi!"

She jumped a mile and span round. Leaning round the corner was a huge man, with arms as thick as tree trunks and thick, black hair everywhere. "What the fuck do you want?"

A little taken aback by the hostile tone she glared him down. "I was sent here because someone told me you might know where my uncle is?"

The rough man narrowed his eyes at her. He stepped round the corner and didn't stop until he was right in her face. Using his considerable height and size he bared down on her darkly, "And who, little girl, might your uncle be?"

She stayed her ground and looked steadily at him from beneath her eyelashes...

"Mihawk."

...

"So, he really did have a sister? Thought it was just a rumour." Mused Gnutt as he led her into the shack. With the windows all bordered up the gloom inside was depressing, but the shade, oh god, the shade was orgasmically welcoming.

"Whatever happened to her then, your mum?" He continued, though his voice was far from polite and still held a note of hostility.

"Dead." She replied coldly. He just grunted. "So can you direct me to Mihawk or not?"

Everything in the tiny hut stilled when his closed the door with a firm bang and turned to look at her unerringly. Blaize watched, tensed to snapping point, as his dark eyes roamed over her body slowly, lingering on her exposed neck. Her guts twisted and a brief image of Ace flashed before her eyes; he was the only one she liked looking at her in that way.

"Wanna tell me your name first?" He asked. So he didn't know Mihawk personally enough to know about her mum or her...she didn't like this; the informant had said otherwise. _'close, personal friend...'_ This didn't feel right.

"Is that really important?" She didn't particularly want to reveal just who else she was, aside from Mihawk's niece. For one, the piece of shit might get scared and not talk, or worse, cocky and try and claim her bounty. Plus it would reveal her connection to her father and therefore, his to Mihawk. That wasn't exactly her secret to keep. Though her bounty poster told everyone who's daughter she was and had a picture, it was old and grainy; she very much doubted many people would make the connection...

"Guess not." He grunted.

Long strips of light seeped through the cracks between the shitty door, showing dancing dust mites and casting the burly man in dark shadow. He moved closer and it took all her strength to hold her ground and not step away from this man, who set her alarm bells ringing. She saw his eyes flick to the swords at her side and that was all the warning she got before he lunged for her. They crashed to the floor in a fray of flailing limbs and blades and Blaize only just managed to dodge his immense hand cracking down just where her head had been. She scrambled to get his awful weight off of her before she suffocated! A knee to the groin, he howled, she landed a solid punch to the side of his head and managed to get free. Quick as lightning she drew a katana and swept it to his throat before he could fully recover. He looked furious but even so, when he snapped up his eyes to meet hers he flinched, just the tiniest; she was murderous. Her hood had been thrown back when he'd careened into her and her dark burgundy curls fell in disarray over her sweaty face. She was breathing heavily with the effort of containing her devil fruit.

"Don't move," she spat venomously. He complied, staying stock still on his place on the floor, "You were expecting me; wanna tell me who the fuck you are and why my informant would think you knew about Mihawk? Or should I just slice your head off right here right no –"

"Alright!" He snarled, "Alright you little bitch. Let me guess, your informant was a man with a number for a name, am I right?" She gave him no response but he took her silence as a confirmation and continued, "Well it just so happens that around here, guys who go around with numbers for names, or days of the week in some cases, work for the big man practically running this entire country. Most don't know his name, he likes to remain hidden but –"

"Cut to the point asshole, I already know all of this."

"Exactly!" He spat, "you knew to ask for information from Crocodile; not Mr. 0 as he's known by, by everyone else. I'm also guessing you thought he'd know where Mihawk is because he's a Shichibukai, am I right?" She answered by flexing the blade against his neck, "Urgh, alright, well here's two things you missed bitch. One, Croc hates people knowing who he really is, threat to his identity, needs them taken care of asap. And two..." he let out a throaty chuckle causing Blaize to grit her teeth, "Croc hates Mihawk's fucking guts; he'd never help someone who was looking for him!"

She snarled and kicked him in the back, but he continued to laugh at her. _Fuck!_

"So why'd he send me to this dump with a sad sap like you waiting?" She seethed.

"Cus I'm the one who takes care of trash he want rid of. Why'd you think we're in the middle of nowhere sweetheart? No one can here you scream."

She quirked her infamous eyebrow and remarked dryly, "Me? I'm not the one with a sword at my throat _sweetheart_."

She was beyond pissed off now. Not only had the lead been a dud, but a trap too! How could she have missed that vital piece of information? And now, she was in some shitty shack, in the middle of nowhere, forced to kill someone when all she wanted to do was leave and find the others...find Ace.

"Oh I forgot to mention one more little fact you missed you dumb slut." He said dangerously low, but she was a bit too pissed off and bored with this lowlife now to be listening properly. She sent a charge down her blade... "You didn't disarm me."...Just as something sliced into her side...and the whole place blew sky high.

* * *

_...So what do you think?_

_You know what to do if you want more...REVIEW!_


	6. Chapter 6

_I'm really sorry for the wait, especially leaving you on that cliff hanger, I genuinely didn't mean to. I actually had to rewrite this chapter because I wanted to get it right; for some reason it gave me a little grief, BUT, I'm happy with it now. I hope you all enjoy it :)_

_Also I'd like to now thank a few of you who've spurred me on, you're reviews mean so, so much to me, thank you all!_

_LittleWonderland, Shiningheart of ThunderClan, ValorousValkyrie, TheLegendOfFangirl, Hopelesslyhope, Sora Tsuiki, Girl-luvs-manga, RedneckChick, Mailumia and devil4y and all the other guests. THANK YOU ALL!_

_I hope this was worth the wait..._

* * *

_**Painful Memories and An Unexpected Request**_

"_Far away, across the sea, hear this song and remember, soon you'll be, home with me, once upon a December. Someone holds you safe and warm –" The amber eyed beauty was suddenly brought out of her lullaby trance by her small daughter shifting awake in her lap. _

"_Mummy...?"_

"_Hmm?" She looked down fondly, running her fingers through the little girl's dark red halo of red hair._

"_Is the storm over?"_

_A flash of lightning lit up the child's pale face and wide eyes and with a squeak she crawled deeper into her mother's embrace as a crack of thunder shook the room. The woman let out a small chuckle to ease her daughter's racing heart, but her own heart would not still so easily. She cast her bright eyes to the windows, which rattled noisily against the brutal battering they were receiving from the wind and rain, to the dark, tumultuous sea far below. Somewhere out there, Shanks was..._

_A sob caught her attention again and she looked down to see her little bundle shaking. "Oh, oh, oh, oh, no little one, don't cry. You're safe, I've got you. Sssh, you're safe my little Roux, it's alright." She cooed, lifting her daughter's head to the crook of her neck._

"_See? As long as you fit in here, right here on my shoulder, you'll be safe." Soothing her wild hair down, she rocked her gently and stood to move closer to the warmth of the fireplace._

_The little red head pulled back with a sniffle and looked at her mother with watery eyes, "Really?"_

"_Of course," she replied with a warm smile. "Always"_

_..._

...Blaize heard another violent crack of what she presumed to be thunder and tried to turn her body away from the heat of the fireplace, which was now far too warm. She sort the comfort of her mother's arms but instead found herself lying on a rough wooden floor trapped beneath something hard and heavy. Darkness still cloaked her foggy head but a seed of panic was beginning to seep in. This felt too familiar...with a sickening jolt, realisation sunk in; her mother wasn't here, because she was dead, all because of...Something fell nearby and blew a fresh wave of heat her way. As all remnants of the loving memory turned to ash something very real penetrated her dulled mind. She was trapped near something burning...just like when...NO!

Blaize fought viciously against her deadened body, her mind now rapidly becoming painfully conscious of her actual surroundings. She could barely twitch an eyelid and with each strained effort the throb in her head became more and more pronounced, as did the deep ache in her damp side. Oh god, please no, not again, not like this...her mind raced as true panic set in; it was too similar.

Suddenly an almighty crash shocked her body into motion. **"Blaize!"**...her eyes snapped open only to be stung by thick plumes of smoke, **"BLAIZE!"** That voice; she'd heard it too often over the past few days not to know exactly who it was.

"Ace!" The pathetic rasp didn't stand a chance at being heard over the roaring flames. "Ace...!" The effort made her dizzy and filled her lungs with poisonous air. Luckily, her cough was far louder than her voice.

"BLAIZE?!" Relief flooded his rough voice and the next second, whatever had been pinning her down was wrenched off of her with brutal strength. Fire Fist Ace's stricken face swam into view, "Thank _fuck!_" He ground out. The suffocating panic ebbed slightly upon being freed, but even with Ace's presence, it still held her tightly in its fearsome grasp. Blaize tried to take a deep breath in but coughed violently again. A flash of deep pain shot up her side, aggravated by the sudden movement. Her gasp wiped the brief smile off Ace's face.

"Oh god..." he whispered, his hand gently going to her side...and coming away covered in blood. "Hold on, I'll get you out of here!" As tenderly and quickly as possible, he scooped her up against his solid, bare chest. The movement was enough to send an agonising jolt of pain through her whole body though and with a gasp, she felt darkness threaten to engulf her again.

"Don't even think about going to sleep!" Ace yelled, his voice thick with panic. Fresh flames suddenly sprung up around them; Ace's fire. "Just hold on damn it!" and with that, he blasted out of the burning shack with frightening force, shielding her from the shattered slivers of wood with his secure embrace. "Don't you dare close your eyes..." and with that, he rocketed away from the disaster Blaize had brought upon herself.

* * *

Somehow, through Ace's constant shouts and shakes, Blaize managed to keep herself conscious long enough to reach Chopper. She had vague recollections of the Straw Hat crew shouting questions and concerns but past that everything was a hazy blur. She did remember the little reindeer doctor yelling at them all back off to give her some air with surprising command. Chopper did a fantastic job at fixing her up and once her head had been seen to she began feeling a hell of a lot more coherent. Her vision cleared as well, unfortunately this meant she could quite clearly see the look of barely contained rage on Ace's face, who'd been the only one Chopper had allowed to stay in the cave where she was being treated.

"_I'm not leaving." He'd replied firmly to the doctor's order, leaving no room for argument. "She's my responsibility, so I'm not leaving until she tells me to."_

Even if she'd wanted to tell him to go, her voice had been wrecked by the smoke inhalation. As Chopper had gone about tending to her rather extensive wounds, he'd talked all about what had happened in her absence, Ace finding his 'lead' and how it turned out to be just as much of a disappointment as Blaize's.

"Yosh, Miss. Blaize?"

"Hmm?" She turned to give Chopper her full attention, tearing her gaze away from the man radiating anger in front of her.

"You were very lucky; the knife didn't hit anything important..."

"Just her body..."Ace muttered darkly under his breath.

"...and the rest of your injuries should heal just fine with plenty of rest." Chopper finished happily. Blaize groaned inwardly; plenty of rest was not something she could afford to do. She was just about to tell Chopper this when a low voice spoke for her.

"I'll make sure she gets it Chopper." His eyes bore in hers and Blaize's heart gave an almost painful jolt.

"Ah! Thank you Mr. Ace. I'll leave you as much medicine as I can spare to help speed the healing process along, but past that, only sleep will do."

With Ace's lead having fallen flat, she knew he'd be leaving the group now...but if she was correct in thinking, he intended to stay with her for at least a little more time. The thought of him looking after her would have been a comforting thought, had she not thought he was trying to kill her with his glare right now.

"Thank you so much Chopper, you really are a wonderful doctor." Ace remarked politely, momentarily lifting his heavy aura for just a second.

The odd little reindeer danced happily but... "Don't say stuff like that you asshole! You really think saying that makes me happy, you're insulting me..." Chopper left promising to get her some food, which knowing Sanji would be a clinch. When she'd been brought back he'd almost had a heart attack and had tried to help until Chopper bodily threw him out of the cave, using his massive transformation to do so.

As soon as she and Ace were left alone the pressure in the cave dropped dangerously.

"Would you mind explaining to me," he began, his voice dangerously low, "how someone with a $400'000'000 bounty, exceptional sword skills and one of the most impressive devil fruit's I've ever come across, gets defeated...by a knife?"

"Not really," she replied coolly, her voice a little rougher than she'd have liked. His expression darkened, a nerve twitched near his temple but she held his gaze firmly. "It doesn't matter now anyway –"

"Doesn't matte –!?"

"No, it doesn't matter, because the information was false _and_ a trap. Turns out I knew more than I should've and less than I needed." She muttered bitterly. She'd been stupid, she _knew_ that. What wouldn't help right now was to be reprimanded for that mistake. Ace remained silent for a long time yet even the crew outside would be able to feel the tension rolling off him in waves.

"When I heard the explosion, I didn't like it, but I had no doubt you were handling whatever it was; so I didn't worry," he said resentfully, "still, I thought I'd come and see if you needed a hand, or just some company on the way back. Then I saw the smoke..." emotion strained his expression and he dropped his intense gaze as if to hide it.

Guilt wormed its way into Blaize's heart. She'd been so quick to go to the defensive, when in actual fact she _should_ be reprimanded for her stupidity. Yet here she was, stubbornly closing off the man who'd saved her from her near fatal mistake.

"Ace..." he glanced up when her fingers brushed his. The anger was still there, but it was diluted now, "I'm so sorry...It was my own bloody fault, again," her old wound threatened to rip open with fresh guilt but Blaize managed to hold it together; at least she hadn't killed anyone she cared about...this time. "I'm not worth saving, but thank you; without you I'd be de –"

She was cut off by his lips crashing against hers. "Don't you dare say that," he ground out as he pulled back for air, before kissing her again, hard.

It was Blaize who pulled away the second time, heart pounding shame into her blood stream, "Ace, you have no idea what I've done...if you did you'd agree when I say, I'm a monster." She whispered bitterly. Ace hooked his finger under her chin and tilted her face up to meet him in a very gentle but firm kiss. When he pulled back slightly, he kept her close so she couldn't avoid his burning gaze.

"I don't care. I live my life without regrets, so I don't give a damn about anything you may regret from your own past. It doesn't matter to me; that's not the Blaize I'm interested in. You are, the one who's with me here, right now."

Blaize shook her head in silent disbelief at this man, who would so readily disregard her past mistakes. But how could he guess what she'd done... it was so terrible; she could not forgive or forget so easily. Not if she was to avoid it happening again!

"Why are you interested in someone as poisonous as me?!" She cried. A heavy frown twisted Ace's handsome face, still so close to hers.

"You are _not_ _poisonous _Blaize," he whispered adamantly, "you're beautiful and intelligent, fiercely strong, brave and thoroughly captivating. How you think anyone could ever not like you is beyond me."

Her breath hitched, mingling with his heady scent. Did he just admit...? "You like me?" She murmured. Ace placed both hands on her cheeks, thumbs brushing the flushed skin there. Fire rushed from where he touched her.

"I like you very much, Blaize."

Her heart leapt into her throat, where it hammered hard and quick as lightning. _Fire Fist Ace liked her very much..._a sharp moan left her when he brought her mouth to his in a blisteringly passionate kiss. His fire met her sudden rush of blazing red light head on, swallowing them both in a cocooned inferno. She felt his tongue demanding entry and relented, melting into his searing kiss. There was no doubt in her mind that she liked Ace very, very much too. Her erratic heartbeat made that clear enough; but it was because of that, that she wrenched herself away suddenly, as if she'd been burned – pardon the pun.

"No Ace – I can't! I won't put you in danger like this!" Her breathing was coming out in short gasps. "I'm not going to risk hurting you; I care about you too much..." With a painful gasp, she pulled out of his embrace but was stopped short when Ace suddenly took her hands firmly. She watched stunned as flames erupted over his skin and coursed onto hers. In answer, a red blaze boiled from her pores again, vibrating as the fire licked at it, trying to charge it but in actually fact, only feeding the flames further; and Ace controlled it, "I know you're afraid, but don't turn away from me Blaize. Do you really think this frightens me? That this will hurt me?" Although panic automatically shot through her chest, her brain was screaming at her the truth; he really was ok, she wasn't hurting him... "Blaize," he practically growled, catching her eyes again, "let me protect you from your devil fruit. I don't want you to be afraid anymore. I want you to live!" His face lit up with a brilliant grin, "I meant to ask you when you came back, but then...well, it doesn't matter, I'm asking now." He took a deep breath but Blaize found she could barely _breathe _herself, let alone draw breath. "Stay with me. Be my crew not my passenger."

... "_What_...?" She gasped. Ace shifted even closer, bringing both hands gently to her face again.

"Come with me," he whispered, "I know we both have people to find, a mission to accomplish but...I - I don't want to wait until after all of that's over, because by then it might be too late."

"...Are you insane?" she breathed incredulously; but she couldn't stop the smile which tugged at her lips. Ace only smirked wickedly and shrugged as if to say _'most likely'_. He was really serious about this...

CRACK! – "OW!" She punched him point blank in the nose, "That's for springing this on me out of nowhere!" – "What the hell Blai – mmm!" and then kissed him hard enough to bruise both their lips.

"Is that a yes?" He smirked wryly rubbing his sore nose, but a hopeful grin threatened to split his face.

Blaize closed her eyes and prayed she was making the right decision, "yes."

* * *

Warm winds softly ruffled Ace's hair as he placed his hat on and turned to his brother with a smile, "alright then." Luffy hid his disappointment well, but the returning grin was genuine enough.

"Are you two really leaving us then?" Asked little Chopper.

"Yeah. Blackbeard isn't in Arabasta and neither is the man Blaize is searching for. There's no reason for us to stay in this country." At the collective use of 'us' Blaize couldn't help the warmth which tingled up her spine.

"Oh." Luffy responded simply.

Sanji had his eyes primarily on Blaize but they were mindfully flickering between her and Ace, "Where are you planning to go next? Are you staying together?"

Ace shot Blaize a grin before replying making her insides flutter, "Yeah, we are. We're both travelling the same way roughly anyway." This, luckily, was true enough. "Scorpion told me some guy in the West saw Blackbeard, I'm gonna try looking there." He told them whilst taking out a small piece of folded paper. He chucked it to his brother, "Oi Luffy, keep it with you always."

"What? It's just a scrap of paper?"

"That scrap of paper will let us meet again."

Blaize regarded the paper curiously as Luffy unfolded it in confusion; she'd have to ask Ace about that at some point.

"Don't want it?" teased Ace.

"No, I do." Luffy said firmly.

As Luffy twisted it this way and that Vivi beckoned Blaize over and engulfed her in a hug, which much to her dismay and amazement, all but Zoro and Ace piled in on. "Eh, Miss Blaize, we'll miss you s – so much," she sniffled, being very mindful of her wounds as she embraced her tightly.

"I – I'll miss you all too," she stuttered back, more than a little stunned.

"You're our nakama now too, okay!" Luffy yelled happily. She could barely believe it; he'd really meant what he'd said at the beginning of their trip together? He really considered her a friend...

Ace chuckled and pulled Luffy off her by the collar, as did Zoro with a love struck Sanji and the rest of the crew followed suit. Nami was the last to pull away, with tears in her eyes, "I'm gonna miss having t – t – twooo girls!" She mock cried, Vivi patted her sympathetically on the shoulder. Blaize couldn't help but shake her head with a smirk.

"You think I'm happy about travelling with just a boy?" _Yes_ she thought secretly _incredibly_. Zoro managed to pull away from his tiff with Sanji – presumably about bodily removing him away from her – and walked up to her with a wicked grin plastered over his rough features.

"Don't die before we get the chance to fight," Blaize only raised a brow in response before matching his smirk.

"As if I would Roronoa."

Ace plonked Luffy back down and turned to address his brother's crew politely, "Having a younger brother who's a bit on the slow side makes his older brother worry." smirked Ace. Blaize shot him a withering look at the 'slow' remark but chuckled in agreement. "He's probably going to keep burning your hands too. Take care of him for me." He added fondly with a bow. He really cared for his little brother, Blaize thought warmly – and now, by some unbelievable twist of fate this incredible, kind, brave man cared for her too; what had she done to deserve that?

"Luffy, the next time we meet will be at the Pirate's Summit."

"Okay!"

"Come to the top."

Suddenly, the Scorpion man and his kids called over from their pet ostrich...really? An ostrich? Sky alive the desert folk had weird pets...

While the others were distracted Ace suddenly wrapped an arm around her middle and shot into the air. With her held securely and carefully to his chest, they started on their own endeavour, away from the Luffy Straw Hat crew, who had become her first friends.

* * *

_REVIEW! Let me know what you think because Ace and Blaize really kick off from here on..._


	7. Chapter 7

_For those who didn't get the message, my computer has been in the shop from a massive virus. LUCKILY I lost none of my work and after a stupid amount of time for which I apologise for, here is the next chapter. I will be updating as usual now as long a you all review of course. So far you're reviews have been brilliant so thank you for them all._

_Some of this chapter is written from Ace's point of view so let me know what you think of that, if I should do more of it..._

_Enjoy..._

* * *

**Wrestling and Drinks and Hot Arabasta Nights**

"OOOOH!" Roared the crowd of grubby pirates as Blaize slammed down her tenth consecutive shot with stoic arrogance. Her opponent, a huge burly pirate with cork screw yellow hair, slammed face down onto the table with enough force to upend it sending plates and glasses smashing to the floor. The crowd howled and hooted with delight. Rough hands exchanged well placed bets, a good few falling into the red head's lap. Thick smoke made the air hazy and cloggy to breathe. A warm hand gripped her shoulder, long fingers curling close to the exposed skin of her neck. Blaize glanced up into the dark eyes of Fire Fist Ace; her captain.

"Nice going." He grinned wildly, tipping his hat up. He shoved the drunkard next to her off his chair, roughly pulled it round to sit backwards and slammed down two tankards of ale onto the freshly righted table. Sliding one her way he casually folded his arms over the top of the chair and took several long gulps of his own ale. In her tipsy state Blaize couldn't help but be completely transfixed by his bobbing Adam's apple, quite utterly missing the question he asked her.

"Oi..." he smacked her softly upside the head. Her ale sloshed down her front. From across table a few of the men's eyes shot straight to her soaked chemise. Blaize turned murder eyes on her new captain who had the decency to look appropriately frightened. He quickly removed his hat a used it to cover her exposed chest as a faint blush crept up his neck. If she hadn't been drunk, she may have killed him, as it was...

"HAAAHAHAHA" Laughter spurted up from her gut, sending several other pirates around them into fits as well.

"Eh, sorry," Ace apologised genuinely, once she'd calmed down again. A mock glare was the worst he got before she smirked it off.

"You were saying, captain?"

On the table in front of them, a game a cards started up between two opposing crews, one at each end. Due to the cacophony of noise generated by them and others coming to watch, Ace had to lean in very close to her ear. Luckily, the hiss of pleasure she let escape went unnoticed by all _but_ her new crew mate.

"I was just asking you if we had enough for a room tonight." Though his tone was perfectly innocent, Blaize couldn't help the flood of adrenaline which pulsed through her nerves at his words. After a few weeks of travelling together, Blaize had yet to become used to sleeping on a more regular occasion, but Ace had his methods to help speed the process along...Though they'd not gone past their heated make outs – with which Ace had been a _frustratingly_ perfect gentleman – he knew exactly how to coax out that feeling of peace, which got her to sleep almost effortlessly; and true to his word, if he felt himself going for even a second, he'd make damn sure she woke up in time.

"I think we do." She replied huskily. Ace zoned in on her dilated pupils. He was so close, and so damn hot, when suddenly she noticed something she'd never spotted before...quite literally.

"Captain?" She slurred.

Ace smirked darkly, "Yes?"

She leaned in so close that a few of her loose curls, which were a little frazzled from the humidity, fell against his unruly dark locks. She blew at them lazily before using a finger to brush them away from his slightly stunned face; she was rarely the one to initiate any kind of contact (not for lack of wanting to mind, she just wasn't used to it yet).

"You have freckles."

At that exact moment the crew playing cards on the right hand side lost poorly, and burst into uproar. The first punch was thrown, sending a hefty sucker careening into the back of Blaize's chair so that she in turn crashed heavily into Ace, who in turn, went flying head over heels in a chaotic tangle of limbs.

"FIIIIGHT!"

The entire bar exploded in chaos around them. Ace shoved the poor guy who'd landed on them, off Blaize's back with a solid kick, sending him flying across the room. He dodged a wild plate sailing past over head, punched a pirate with curly side burns coming at them from the left and helped drag a very confused Blaize up onto her feet just as a body flew towards them.

"DUCK!"

"Where?!"

He pulled her with him as the man crash landed into the table, splintering it in half. They stumbled a good few feet away, between a tall woman, about to swing a chair at some chubby bastard. It hit Ace instead, becoming ash upon impact as he flared up just in the nick of time. The woman screamed and scrambled to get away, but it went unnoticed by the two crew mates, who were shouting at each other over the racket.

"What the FUCK just happened?!" Blaize screamed, swinging to round-house kick an attacker coming at them from behind.

"I haven't the f–" Ace disappeared under an idiot brute for a second, before said brute went hurtling through the rafters. "– foggiest." He finished with a puff of exasperation. "You wanna stay and fight or get the hell out of here?" A proper tavern brawl? No devil fruits or real weapons of any kind; just good old fashioned fists with the occasional dose of a round-house kick...if she hadn't been drunk she'd have run a mile for fear of losing control. As it was...

"Up to you Captain!" grinning as she took down two men in one go. For a woman inebriated, she packed a damn good punch. She suddenly realised she still had his hat, now slung round her neck; she didn't remember doing that.

Ace ducked down and took out an entire bunch of brawlers with one sweep of his flamed foot, "Eh, what the hell." He said, casually tucking his thumbs into his belt, "Don't think I'll even break a sweat."

He sent one rampaging man spinning into a table effortlessly as Blaize clocked an oncoming feller hard in the mouth. They both snapped back from their attacks, inches from each other's faces.

"Bet I can take down more than you. No devil fruit trickeries either."

"I thought you didn't like fighting for no reason?"

"I'm drunk, there's always a reason."

Ace's head snapped back with a wild laugh. "Deal!" He stole a kiss from her lips, pulled his hat up over her head, and shrugged out of his cloak; muscles flexed and ready to fight. Eyes bright, full of fire and life, he dove into the main fray and she followed with reckless abandonment.

* * *

_(Ace P.V.O)_

Peals of laughter could be heard echoing off every wall in the street.

"Ohahaha, I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life as when that man with blue hair jumped on your back. Your face! I had no idea you could make such a face!" Blaize doubled over and laughed so hard she actually lost her footing, and stumbled to the ground with a soft 'oomph'. "Oh I don't think I've ever been this drunk before either...you won't let me blow anything up right?" She asked doe eyed.

Ace looked down at her with clear amusement in his slightly merry eyes, "I promise." He said earnestly. "Miss Blaize?" She tried to look up but somehow ended up flopping back flat on her back instead. He let out a soft chuckle and propped his hands on his hips, "whatever am I going to do with you?"

"I still won," she mumbled happily, flapping a hand around in a terrible effort to point at him, "I beat yooou." She ended by blowing a raspberry into the last word.

With a roll of his eyes Ace crouched down beside her, "Mm, I know, you've told me none stop since leaving the tavern." He remarked dryly. "I had to buy you the drinks which got you into this state."

"I'm safe though; people safe from meee. You me safe weeeeeeEEEE!" The singing started her rolling from side to side.

Ace smiled fondly through his mild chagrin, "yes, you're safe with me Red." But she was too happy with her merry humming and rolling around, to be paying much attention to him anymore. "Ok, come on –" he reached for her hands but she rolled away playfully, "– Blaize –" he warned, but she just giggled and rolled off even further. "Damn it," he growled, heading after her.

She got quite a way ahead before finally staggering to her feet like a baby reindeer on ice. "Whoa, oh...when did the ground start moving so fast?" she whispered loudly to her companion, as he finally caught up with her, with a great sigh of relief.

"Since just now –" he growled, and with that he seamlessly lifted her up and over his shoulder (stealing his hat back in the process) and began a brisk walk to find a hotel. In her blissful state, Blaize didn't really seem to notice she was suddenly upside down on Ace's back; but she did notice he was minus his black cloak with fiery embellishment.

"Hey yoou're naked," she slurred with difficulty from her position, facing his arse.

"Not quite, no," He chuckled, "don't worry; I'll get something in town tomorrow."

"Where's your cloak?" Her childish voice was muffled by his back.

"You're wearing it," he informed her wryly.

"I am!" she squeaked and tried to look but a sharp smack on her buttocks halted her wriggles.

"Stop squirming you'll fall." He chided.

Blaize froze in shock, "You shmacked me!" she gasped.

Ace slid his hand ever so carefully up her thigh to rest just below her tight arse, "Don't think I won't do it again –" he warned.

"Why do I have your purddy cloak?" She probed after settling back down with a noticeable shiver; the air was pleasantly warm out tonight...

"Because you lost yours when you set it ablaze and threw it at that _delightful_ whore trying to touch me up, remember...?" He spotted a small inn, hidden in the shadows and headed for it casually. Not a single thing slipped his notice however, sharp eyes alert and guarded even as his floppy companion continued on, oblivious.

"Oh yeah...bitch." Blaize muttered darkly, earning an equally dark chuckle from Ace.

* * *

"One room please, double bed." Ace requested politely, putting on his brightest smile. The old, female innkeeper eyed Blaize suspiciously; probably thinking he was taking advantage of her. He turned to look and held back a groan. She was making for the exit in a series of dizzying spins; honestly she was worse than Luffy – well, not quite that, but getting there. He ran and caught her just before she went smack bang into the wall _beside_ the door and scooped her up into his arms gently.

"Oh ACE! Guess what?"

"Hmm?" He propped her up against the main desk and turned an exhausted eye back to the innkeeper who he was pleased to see, had a small smile warring at her thin lips.

"I think I found your cloak"...So close to being worse than Luffy at this point; and it only made his heart warm to her even more.

* * *

Attempting to get her up the stairs had proved impossible so Ace had hushed all protests and swung her up into his arms. Her soft moans were more than a little distracting, as were the gentle brushes of her soft hands on his bare chest. Gritting his teeth, he found to the room and after the tricky task of shifting Blaize into just one arm, he managed to get the door open.

Out of all the rooms they'd stayed in over the past few weeks, it was definitely one of the nicest/cleanest. A comfy looking double bed filled up most of the small room, bathed in pale blue moonlight from the wide window opposite.

She'd needed the toilet so he waited patiently outside, listening for any sign of her falling in or throwing up. When neither happened and she just stumbled out a few minutes later into his arms he scooped her up again, relishing in the feel of her soft body against his. Ace carefully deposited a very limp Blaize down in the middle of it, far away from the edges, and went to find a glass and some water. Not dropping the glass when he walked back in had been immensely hard! Struan all over the floor were clothes; Blaize's clothes. And sprawled in a frustratingly sexy position, barely covered by the thin blanket on the bed, was a blatantly naked Blaize.

"Oh god," Ace muttered and tried to ignore the throbbing strain in his pants. How the hell had she stripped so quickly? He wasn't sure if she was still awake, so very carefully he placed the water and his hat on the small bedside table and crept onto the edge of the bed. He hissed a curse when Blaize rolled – definitely asleep – over to him – definitely naked – and snuggled up to his side. Ace tensed under her touch, because as much as he encouraged her affections, she was _naked_ for god's sake! And he was finding it incredibly hard _(so incredibly hard)_ staying the perfect gentleman right now. He'd been with women before and prided himself on being impeccably respectful of them, just like he'd been taught. But not one single woman, not one, had affected him the way Blaize did; and she was oblivious to it.

She was so perfect, and not just physically – and lord was she perfect physically, from her achingly beautiful face to her wild red hair, her creamy pale skin, taught body...large, heavy breasts... Ace swallowed hard – but her stubborn bravery, her frightening skills in a fight and her adorable cantankerous attitude, all of her was just, in a word, perfect. At first she'd just interested him, but deep down Ace had always known it could easily become more than that. When he'd kissed her in the desert pass...that had been the best kiss of his entire damned life.

But Ace had moments, where he was terrified he'd fuck things up, or didn't even deserve her. He was damned; he'd been born that way. Was it really fair of him to get involved with this wonderful woman? He looked down at her and felt his heart swell; and knew he couldn't let her go – and that was stupidly selfish of him. But he lived life without regrets and he most certainly did _not_ regret inviting her to travel with him. However, right this minute, he _was_ questioning getting a room with only _one_ bed. A groan left his throat when she moaned in her sleep. He spotted chemise crumple at the foot of the bed, along with some rather lacy pants, and then looked back down at the hot, naked female draped over his bare torso. He eased her off him, relishing in the smoothness of her skin and hard sculpt of her slim muscles, and went to scoop up the discarded clothing.

"I'm gonna make you pay for this tomorrow," he muttered mutinously. With a painful gulp he pulled back the cover, _"fuck_"he hissed. This was going to be torture. Her fully bared skin glowed in the faint strips of moonlight streaming down on the bed. Luckily she was lying on her front, so her more intimate parts were hidden from him; though he did have a wonderful view of her perfect, full ass and strange spiralling, black tattoo. With long, skilled fingers Ace slipped the lacy underwear over her feet and ankles and then proceeded to slide them up her soft legs, lifting them slightly as he went. A breathy moan brought Ace to a halt. His eyes snapped up to her face, partly covered by dark curls, lips parted, expression...lustful? God, what was she dreaming about? Growling back his desire, Ace focused on getting her pants on _not_ off like every inch of him was screaming for. He reached her round behind and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, preparing himself to lift her hips. He slipped an arm under her waist, bringing his own bare chest so close he could feel the delicious heat radiating off her, and suppressed a groan as he pulled her up against him, lifting her enough to pull the damned underwear up the rest of the way. Just as he felt he could relax a little, Blaize writhed against him, rubbing her ass into his groin, against his incredibly hard member. He hissed but couldn't stop himself pulling her closer. The perfect plane of her back felt incredible against his chest and Ace let his head fall softly on her shoulder, his lips grazing the hot skin there; she fit against him so perfectly it was painful.

"Ace..." she moaned sleepily. His hazed focus snapped back to the surface. _What was he doing?_ He panicked as Blaize woke up. Her head turned slightly to meet his, foreheads bumping as she found his eyes. She was still very drunk of course and her lids fell lazily over her dark eyes but unmistakable lust burned there and Ace felt his control slip. Their lips met in a searing kiss as Blaize turned in his arms and pushed her naked chest up against his, her large breasts squashed between them, her heated groin burning Ace's. Ace ran his hands down her sides and couldn't help it as he thrust against her, eliciting a sweet cry from her, which he swallowed in kisses. Leaving her mouth, he attacked her neck, trailing fiery nips and licks down the throat to the roll of her shoulder.

"Uh! Ace!" Blaize cried out, burying her fingers in his hair, nails scraping his scalp. Maybe it was the slight slur in her cry which forced Ace partway back to his scattered wits, or perhaps the gentleman in him crying out but he suddenly realised what he was doing and just where this might lead if he didn't stop _right_ now. He slowed his ministrations, trying to ignore the insistent moan from Blaize and gently pulled away from her enough to think again. She was so tired and so drunk and so _trusting_ of him, he couldn't do this. Shame washed over him like a cold shower and with careful hands he reached for the chemise and eased it onto her body, keeping his eyes on her face at all times. Even inebriated, she kept his solid stare and Ace could see the faint hurt in her eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?" she mumbled, brow knitted in confusion.

He cupped her cheek, brushing a thumb over her skin and kissed her again, this time much slower and sweeter, "of course not," he whispered, pulling away slightly, "but this isn't right, what I'm doing. You deserve better."

She shook her head put he caught her in another kiss, finished buttoning up her blouse and rolled off her to the side. Pulling the blanket over them both he brought her snug against him and placed butterfly kisses on her cheek making her smile again.

"Sleep, I'll make sure nothing happens." He said and felt her nod sleepily. She did deserve better, so much more than he could ever give her; but he'd be damned twice if he wasn't going to try and become the man she deserved.

* * *

_(Blaize's P.V.O.)_

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Everything was way _too_ bright. Blaize squinted at her captain from beneath the slit of her scarf _and_ hood. It was then she saw something which finally triggered a memory...of sorts.

"Your freckles..."

Ace whistled "Wow, you really were plastered last night. Are you saying you remember none of the fight after that?" He asked as if gauging her reaction.

"We were in a _fight_? Oh my god..." she groaned, heavily sinking down in her chair, "did I hurt anyone."

"Not using your devil fruit." He smirked. Well that would explain the throbbing in her knuckles then.

She almost didn't want to ask but need compelled her, "anything else I need to know?"

For a moment, Ace's lips twitched but he quickly rubbed a hand over his chin, obscuring his lips from her, "no, you pretty much fell asleep before we even left the tavern." She started to relax, "of course you did try very hard to sleep _naked_."

Her head snapped up, "What?!" He was joking right...right? "You can't be serious..." Ace let his hand slip away and sent her an amused look, "oh god, you're not joking!" She groaned, letting her head fall into her hands. "Wait, I woke up with clothes _on_," she looked up at Ace, the hangover adding grumpiness to her suspicion. His eyes smouldered suddenly as his whole body tensed and Ace leaned over to her, pulling back the scarf over her ear.

"You will pay for the torture you put me through last night miss Blaize. You're very lucky I'm such a gentleman because the things I wanted to do to you last night would make you scream with pleasure."

Liquid fire shot through her body, straight to her groin as a shiver ran down her spine. Ace pulled back only to capture her chin and press his lips against hers in a searing but short kiss, relaying all the pent up lust he was holding back. God of sky and sea she had _never_ wanted a man so much in all her life.

"So, nothing happened?" she gulped.

He shook his head slowly, "I need to ask you something Blaize." He said, suddenly very serious, "have you ever been with a man before?" Heart thundering against her chest she found she couldn't speak so just shook her head, "ok...that's, good to know." He finished, voice strained.

"Why?"

But Ace said nothing and just ordered them some food, reminding her that she was still very hungover but hungry. The fire Ace had ignited refused to be doused however and not for the first time since she'd met him did Blaize think about what it would be like to bed Fire Fist Ace.

* * *

_As many reviews as possible please if you want me to update quickly! Let me know what you all think!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Thank you for all of your reviews :) They make me sooooooo happy and keep me writing. In answer to someone who requested longer chapters, I think you're right...so here it is, longer and pretty bare with Blaize and her emotions. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!_

_Enjoy..._

* * *

**Peachs and One too many Shanks**

_In a dark, ornate room, two men sat in tall chairs opposite each other. One man had just one arm, the other looked more like a duke than the greatest swordsman._

"_She's looking for you" Remarked the pirate with shocking red hair, resting his chin on one cupped palm._

_The other man remained still as stone, and spoke in a calm, emotionless voice, "I am aware of this."_

"_She blames herself Mihawk." Shanks said in a strained voice._

"_That is because it _IS_ her fault."_

_The red haired pirate slammed his fist down on the table between them, "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!?... She was just a child, she didn't even know –"_

"_Regardless, it is still her fault. If she wishes to fight me I will not back down."_

"_Damn it Mihawk she's my daughter! And your niece! I'll be damned if I'll let you hurt her –"_

"_You have not controlled her fate for a long time now Shanks; it is not up to you anymore. But if you wish to warn her against it I cannot stop you."_

_The two men eyed each other stonily, one on the verge of blowing a fuse, the other's only outward distress shown in the tension in his fingers, which he hid by steeping them together and resting his chin on the tips. Shanks gave in first, a glint of desperation in his eyes, the kind only a parent failing to protect their child gets._

"_Isn't it enough that I already fought you over the matter?"_

"_I believe that is part of the problem."_

_Of course Shanks did understand this and honestly if they were discussing anyone else in the world, he would whole heartedly agree with Mihawk on the matter. But she was his _daughter_ for crying out loud. Still, she was an incredibly strong woman now...he couldn't force her not to do this._

"_If I truly cannot stop you then I want you to promise me something."_

_Carefully Mihawk nodded once, "Go on."_

"_Do not kill or maim her; punish her as you see fit but leave her face and limbs and her life, with no permanent damage. Your sister would have wanted that at least."_

_Surprisingly, he agreed, "Very well."_

_Feeling he'd done as much as he possibly could without interfering with their 'honour', Shanks got up to leave, but not before looking Mihawk right in the eye and saying firmly;_

"_I do not blame her Mihawk; neither should you."_

"_I do not allow personal feelings to get in the way of truth and honour; that is the difference here Shanks." He replied coldly._

"_You have a black heart."_

"_Who is there left in this world, which does not?"_

* * *

The docks of Katorea were at the very edge of Arabasta, far enough away that the more damaging effects of the war were at a minimum. The market still thrived full of exotic smells and fine silks and precious water and more importantly, traders with information who aren't under the oppression from the Arabasta war. The heat however was just as oppressive and Blaize was grateful for thinking ahead and stealing Ace's hat before she left; that's what he got for sleeping in. Blaize smiled as she thought of her captain, sprawled out on the bed fast asleep when she'd come back from using the washroom. She needed to stay up for a few nights, last night his narcolepsy had hit and he'd only just managed to wake her up in time with a sharp slap to the head; if it wasn't so necessary she'd hit him for it.

She looked out over the pink morning sunlight, watching it hit off the water in sparkling waves. The docks of Katorea were busy with a kind of life that was noticeably absent from the rest of Arabasta. People walked with less caution in their steps, they laughed more freely and let their young children play out in the shallows, lapping close to where Blaize wondered. It was still too hot for her liking, but this was the kind of Arabasta Blaize could get used to, the kind she could spend time in; the innocent, almost untouched kind. Shame they were leaving tomorrow. Pushing a stubborn curl off her forehead she shielded her eyes from the growing glare of the sun just as a familiar smell caught her attention. Over by the lapping shore line, stood apart from the rest of the market, was a small fruit stand overfilled with ripe, blushing peaches.

"Hello there lovely lady," a man who was what some would call handsome (she would call sleazy) winked her way when he saw her approaching the stand, "do you see anything you like?" he asked suggestively.

Holding back a grimace Blaize kept her temper in check and bent down to examine the fruit, "how much are these peaches?"

"Why don't you try one for free first?" He said smoothly, walking out from behind the stall to stand irritatingly close. Blaize hated people standing in her personal bubble, but so far apart from trying way too hard to charm her the merchant had done nothing wrong so instead of beating him to a pulp she merely stood and carefully placed some distance between them both, hoping he'd take the hint. He didn't.

"Go ahead, take any one you like." He 'artfully' picked up a peach and held it out for her to take, walking in close again. Blaize felt her throat tighten as faint panic squirmed in her stomach. She tried to back away again; he followed. In fact he practically pushed her right up against the wooden stall coming in so close she could feel the unpleasant warmth of his breath against her cheek.

Adopting a steely expression in place of her polite one, she said in a clipped tone, "I think I'm ok actually." If she was unsure about whether he meant well or not before, his reaction to her sudden coolness answered her question. His pale blue eyes iced over and his jaw went rigid, both too subtle for an untrained eye to spot but to Blaize they were alarm bells.

"Take it, it's a gift." He murmured with forced sweetness. She flinched when she felt his other hand come to rest on the stand behind her, brushing against her waist uncomfortably. Fighting very hard not to blow him up in front of the entire market Blaize shot him a deadly glare.

"Please back away. I don't like people this close to me." She said firmly; she would only fight as a last resort but that resort was getting pretty damn close.

"Oh no? You seem rather flushed to me," he smirked, mistaking her irritation for shyness – idiot – "why don't you just take the peach?"

She could so easily get rid of him, in fact she could think of a thousand different ways to get him off her; but she didn't _want_ to hurt him. She didn't _want_ to be seen as the bad guy today in front of so many children playing just a few paces away. Any other part of Arabasta and perhaps she wouldn't hesitate so much, but here...

If only to get rid of him she went to take the peach only to be startled by a hand reaching over his shoulder to snatch the fruit from his unsuspecting hand. Her eyes snapped up and a flood of relief washed over her when she saw Ace towering over the seedy merchant, his normally pleasant expression set in stone.

"When a lady asks you to back off, you do it." He ground out through clenched teeth. He slammed his free hand down onto the merchants shoulder in a death grip and the sleaze ball gave a cry of alarm as he was thrown away from Blaize with near brutal force. Not giving him a second to collect himself, Ace rounded on the stunned merchant and pointed over to Blaize, who was rooted to the spot in shock.

"Apologise to her." He growled.

"I – I – I'm s – s – s – sorry..." the man stuttered through trembling lips, "I m – meant n – n – no harm!" He pleaded, holding up sweaty hands.

Ace gave a tight nod and finally turned to Blaize, but his expression didn't soften as he threw the peach back onto the stall with a 'splat'.

"Are you alright?" He asked tersely, not exactly looking at her.

More than a little confused by his behaviour Blaize's defences shot up, "I'm fine." She said curtly, "let's just get out of here."

* * *

(Ace P.V.O)

It wasn't until much later in the day when Ace felt calm enough to hold a composed conversation with the red haired temptress. She hadn't made any motions to speak to him either, moodily grouching around, snapping at anyone who tried to sell her someone; in fact by the time he got around to talking to her he was a little scared and appropriately sheepish.

"Um...Blaize?" He came to a stop along the quiet street they'd wondered down, scratching the back of his neck uneasily. The woman coiled like spring, stopped and turned to face him, eyebrow quirked, arms crossed; pissed. But he wasn't about to back out of saying what had had him so riled up all day.

"How could you have _let_ him get that close to you? You looked almost scared for crying out loud! You're one of the strongest women I've ever met and –"

"Exactly." She remarked coolly, pulling Ace up short.

"Huh?"

She let out a sad sigh, losing all the tension in one breath, "you couldn't possibly know what it's like Ace, to be a woman in this world. To constantly have men look at you, thinking that if they hit on you, it's they're god given right for you to say yes to anything they want. And if you don't, if you brush them off then they either get embarrassed or nasty and if they get nasty they try their very hardest to make _you _feel like the foolish one and push their 'affections' until you give in one way or another." She'd grown steadily angrier as she went on, but it was concentrated to her fists only, which were clenched into tight, trembling balls, "it's even worse if you have a devil fruit like mine and, a bloody loud conscience to boot! Don't you see Ace? _Yes_, I could've blown him sky high, I could've drawn my swords, I could've humiliated him by just using my fists but at the end of the day he was just a sleazy guy with too big an ego. I have to keep my temper in check every _single_ hour of _every single day_; because if I don't, I live with the mistakes!" A flash of deep rooted pain shivered through her body for a second but she closed her eyes against the quake and held onto her remarkable control.

"So yes, I let him get close, because he wasn't taking the hints and all he really seemed to want was to give me a peach. And maybe if I was just strong or a good swordswoman I'd have let myself get angry over it rather than uncomfortable. But if _I_ get angry, I threaten the lives of every single _innocent _person around me; and since I was in the middle of the market, there were a lot of those around today."

The rough desert wind tumbled past the two pirates, stood just a few feet apart in the otherwise desolate street. It ruffled Blaize's wild curls beneath _his _hat, which he'd noticed earlier but seeing as he hadn't been speaking to her for the entire day, he hadn't bothered taking it back; besides, it suited her and he kind a liked the idea of her wearing something of his...

Right now though, he felt pretty damn stupid and, once again, unworthy of the remarkable woman before him. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, "when I saw him so close to you...I sort of saw red. I was so angry, and then when I heard you tell him you didn't like people close to you...it made me realise that I've been pretty forward with you, maybe too much so." He couldn't look her in the eye, though he knew he had her full attention now, "still, the fact that he wouldn't _back off_ even after you'd made it so clear, I could barely control myself. I want to roast his fucking ass!"

"You didn't." She stated simply.

Ace snapped his eyes to hers at last, letting her see the barely restrained fire there, "I should've," he growled.

"Ace –"

He cut her off by touching her for the first time that day. It was just a gentle stroke on the cheek but it was enough to knock the air from his lungs. He cursed himself when he saw her flinch and went to withdraw but froze when one of her own hands came up and held his in place, letting her soft cheek sink into his rough palm.

"You're probably the first person since my mum, who I don't mind being this close to." She said quietly. Ace felt his heart swell and ache when he saw the serene smile this thought brought to her usually guarded face. In fact it was an expression he'd never seen before on her. It made her look impossibly beautiful; and he had been part of the cause for it. He couldn't help it – he kissed her...it was like no kiss they'd ever shared before. His heart was pounding so hard it actually hurt his chest, tingles spread down from where their lips met, shuddering through his body and when he felt a similar shiver run through her body too he couldn't help the smile which split his face, effectively stopping the kiss.

They didn't move, merely resting their foreheads together. They didn't speak for a while, just revelling in the feel of each other. It was Ace who spoke first, feeling compelled to ask;

"You mention her in your sleep sometimes...What's she like, your mother?"

The serene smile soured ever so slightly, but remained there as a ghost, as she told him "She was..." Blaize paused, swallowing hard and Ace realised with a sharp jolt what she'd just said; '_was'_... "my world. I loved her so much, I still do. Not a day goes past where I don't forget for a second that she's gone and I get the sick, sharp jolt of realisation all over again...that I'm never going to see or speak to her ever again." He could tell she was finding this hard just by the grip she had on his hand, which still rest on her cheek, the fingers gently stroking it in soothing circles. He knew what it was to lose a parent, he'd lost both of his after all, but at least he'd never had to deal with the pain of knowing a parent and then losing them; that, he imagined, was far worse.

"How did she –"

But he never got to finish what he was saying, because at that moment he felt the sting of a blade at his throat and a very dangerous, very familiar voice growl;

"Get the hell away from my daughter, Fire Fist Ace."

* * *

(Blaize P.V.O)

The panic attack hit so suddenly that Blaize had to fight to keep her knees from buckling. She swayed dangerously, feeling sick guilt overwhelm her entire being. He was here...barely two feet away from her, holding a blade to the throat of the only person who made her feel safe...and all she could feel in this moment was all-consuming dark shame, swamping her, suffocating her, pulling her under. Red Haired Shanks, her father, had found her; and now he would most likely seek his revenge on her for what she did.

Her swords were in her hands faster than she could think, steady even though her whole body shook terribly. Her mind had gone complete blank with panic but she managed to register the utter shock on her father's face.

"Roux, what are you doing?" He asked carefully.

"What do you mean? What are you waiting for? Just kill me already." She hissed, her voice dangerously devoid of emotion. Shanks lowered his sword, the horror registering on his face similar to that of Aces.

"Roux..."

"It is the only honourable thing to do father. You must know this." Blaize felt everything go numb with resignation.

Understanding dawned on Shanks and with a tight jaw, he turned to Ace, "I don't know what you're doing here with my daughter and I don't know what you were just _doing_ with her, nor do I wish to know. You're lucky I think well of you but if you wish for me to spare your life, please leave me to talk with my daughter alone."

Ace subtly placed himself between father and daughter, trying to ignore the raw fear churning his gut, and gave Shanks a hard stare.

"And what will you do to her, if I leave you two alone to _talk_?" He asked coolly.

As if to prove a point, Shanks sheathed his sword, "just that; talk."

Something wavered within Blaize. "_What?_" she breathed, quite unable to understand what her ears had just heard. Her father turned his eyes on her, eyes which matched her own perfectly, eyes which softened upon meeting hers and eyes which perfectly reflected the pain ever present in hers.

"Roux, I'm not here to kill you; there would be _no_ honour in that, like your uncle would have you believe."

That thing wavering inside her shattered and for the first time since her mother was killed, a tear fell from hers eyes. It trailed down her cheek and disappeared into the corner of her trembling mouth.

"But why?"

A pained look flashed across Shanks face before he took Ace by the shoulder and said; "You have nothing to fear from _me._ She will be safe. But I must speak with her alone. This is a family matter."

Ace looked torn between wanting to obey the fearsome man and going to Blaize to gather her in his arms. Eventually, with a hard nod he turned to go, pleading a silent apology to Blaize with his eyes.

"I'll be back, just find me when your done." He said firmly, his solid gaze never leaving her black eyes.

"And _when_ we are done, you and I will be having a talk as well Portgas; understood?" Shanks caught Ace's eyes making the poor boy flinch, but with a quick nod, he disappeared round the corner. Blaize knew he wouldn't go far but she was glad he was gone so she didn't have to worry about Shanks killing him. Now she just had to worry about Shanks...who wasn't here to kill her? No, surely he'd just said that to appease Ace...Shanks looked after the boy momentarily before deciding to deal with one problem at a time and turning back to his daughter.

"Roux...?"

Blaize refused to loosen her grip on her blades, "Why? Why won't you kill me?" She ground out.

Her father held up his hands and gave his daughter a pleading look, "I'm only here to warn you."

"Warn me? You're really not going to kill me?"

Shanks cast her a deep frown, "_NO_, for god's sake Roux, I am _not_ going to kill you – you're my daughter, how could I?" He asked desperately.

"Because I deserve to die!" She shrieked.

He closed his eyes briefly, as if in great pain, "Is that what you think? Is that why you run from me?"

"I run from you because until I face punishment for what I did, I can't face you." She said with affirmation.

"I do not blame you." Shanks told her quietly, taking a step towards her.

She flinched back, looking appalled and confused. "How can you SAY THAT!?" She cried, brandishing her swords wildly in her gesture as if quite forgetting they were in her hands.

"It wasn't your fault Ro –" He began but she cut him off.

"Of course it was. Don't you know? We were never attacked, it was never someone seeking revenge because of you or uncle – it was me."

"I know; we both do."

Blaize took a moment to digest this information. Of course she'd known as soon as her first bounty came out that they'd probably both guess, neither was stupid after all. Still it was like the final nail in the coffin, confirmation that they knew what she'd done. "Then how can you stand there and say I don't deserve to die for what I did?" She finally whispered.

"You're my daughter." He pleaded simply, "You're the only family I have left."

"Then you are blinded." Blaize said darkly.

"Your uncle said the same thing."

Of course he would...it was right for him to blame her; but it still felt like a knife in her chest, "...Good. He's right." She said, her voice shaking slightly.

Shanks took a deep breath, but the frown never left his brow, "Do you truly intend to fight him?"

"You did, didn't you? He challenged you one last time, even though it was after you lost your arm and swore never to fight you again, because he presumed you failed your promise."

He stayed silent, perhaps finally understanding why she needed to do this. He gave a soft sigh of exasperation and resignation.

"I am here...to warn you that if you challenge him, he will fight you. He won't treat you differently because you are blood." His eyes seemed to be pleading with her to reconsider – but her mind was made up.

"Where can I find him?"

"Roux –" He tried again.

"Please father, tell me."

Father and daughter shared a moment then and he seemed to finally give in, understanding that until she did this, she would never have peace and they could never have a relationship.

"He's asked me to tell you to meet him at our home town in six months time."

"Why six months?"

"In his words, 'to give you enough time to become a true threat to him." That was about as close to a chance as Mihawk would ever give her for being his niece.

"I understand...thank you. If I am alive after I face Mihawk, then I will feel worthy enough to be in your presence again." She stated, trying to ignore the sadness this brought to Shank's eyes.

"If that is how you truly feel, I won't try to stop you." He gave a soft, sad smirk, "You're just like her you know –"

The silent tears which had been stopped falling a while back suddenly trembled into life again, "Don't –"

"No, you are." He said firmly, walking close and lifting his palm to her cheek, "every bit as beautiful, every bit as stubborn and every bit as honourable. No matter what you think, I love you Roux and I forgive you –" she felt all the air leave her lungs, "– and so would your mother. Although she might be a little mortified that you followed in my footsteps and became a pirate with such a huge bounty...can't say I'm not a little proud of that myself though."

She managed a small smile but it hurt her bruised heart. He forgave her...how could he? It was more than she'd ever even hoped.

And then the moment was gone as Shanks broke the tension, pulling away again. "Alright then, now that's settled –"

He disappeared round the same corner Ace had left by and after a few seconds, reappeared with the young man whose face was scrunched up in pain as Shanks held him with his arms twisted behind his back.

"– I think we should find a bar and have a little talk, don't you Mr. Portgas?"

...

(Ace P.V.O)

"So Portgas, mind telling me why I found you lip locked with my daughter?" The red haired pirate asked casually as he forced Ace into a seat and ordered them some drinks. Ace tried to get something other than stunted words to come out of his mouth but failed miserably. Shanks quirked an eyebrow looking unimpressed, suddenly shockingly resembling Blaize; _so that's where she gets that from. _Ace swallowed hard but still couldn't find his voice.

"No? Well how about we start with something else first, get your tongue untied; how's your brother, Luffy?"

Caught a little off guard, it took Ace a moment to reply, "Eh...he's fine. We just parted ways with him and his crew actually; still an idiot and I've got no idea how he's survived this long but he seems to have a good crew looking after him. He's a good Captain Shanks." He added with pride and the older pirate nodded as if he'd always known it.

"Good to hear. Now, how much of our conversation did you hear?"

Ace stumbled at the quick change of topic, especially since this was more than a little awkward, but managed to answer this question. "I heard every word." He said quietly. Shanks nodded slowly, scratching his chin with a slight frown.

"I thought as much." He gave a sigh and took a large swig of his drink, "do you have anything you'd like to ask me then? Bearing in mind my answers will be limited."

A swell of noise washed over the room suddenly as two men started an arm wrestling contest behind them and Ace took the moment to think over what he'd heard. Honestly he wasn't sure _what_ to make of it. "Why did Blaize think you were going to kill her?"

"I can't tell you that. Why did you trust _me_ when I said I wouldn't?" He bounced back.

Ace frowned as his question went unanswered, "because you're her father, I _have_ to believe that meant something. When we met before, I came away with an even greater respect for you. I wanted to believe you were a better man than my father, that you wouldn't harm her in any way." He said bitterly, careful not to mention his father's name as he was unsure whether Shanks knew or not. He'd prefer not.

Shanks looked away, "I only wish my daughter held the same belief. She honestly thought I was there to kill her..."

"To seek revenge...?" Ace prompted. The two men held each other's gaze for moment before the older pirate smirked darkly.

"Is there anything in your past you'd prefer remained a secret Portgas?"

Ace flinched, a cold shudder running down his spine...did he know...no, he couldn't possibly...

"That's what I thought," finished Shanks before Ace could ask, "What happened to my family will remain in our family until my daughter decides otherwise. Which brings me to another point I brought up earlier but _you_ seemed unable to answer; what is your relationship with my daughter?"

The young pirate froze and his drink halted midway, sloshing into his lap with a loud curse. _Crap_, how the hell was he supposed to answer that? _He _didn't even know what their relationship was exactly, and now he was here with her _father_ for crying out loud, who was one of the most feared and respected pirates on the Grand Line. As if just meeting the father wasn't bad enough he was probably one of the few men in the world who could actually kill him...Ace looked up at the man he respected so much for saving his brother's life and couldn't stop blurting out;

"I haven't taken her maidenhood!" _Shit..._

The other pirate raised both eyebrows at the boy's outburst and watched with amusement as Ace let his head fall to the table and began repeatedly banging it. Now he _wanted _to die!

"Well...that's, good to know." Replied Shanks in a strained voice, "but that's not exactly what I asked." He seemed to take pity on the Whitebeard commander, "alright, how about this. How long have you two been..._together_?"

Errr...how long had it been? "A few weeks," he decided on safely, his answer muffled by the table top he was still slumped against.

"Ok, and in your time together, have you come across any...issues?" He asked carefully.

Ace looked up confused, a prominent red mark on his forehead, "issues?"

"Involving her devil fruit." He clarified. Suddenly Ace knew exactly what he meant and as understanding dawned on his face Shanks tensed a little.

"You mean her lack of control when she sleeps?" Shanks nodded, "it doesn't affect me. My devil fruit cancels it out."

Shanks almost fell out of his chair, leaning forward with a clatter, "What?"

"Yeah, when she starts to heat up because of nightmares or whatever, I just absorb it with my fire."

Shanks looked away with an odd expression bordering between confusion and elation, "I'll ignore for the moment that this means you've at least shared a bed with her," he stated disapprovingly making Ace sweat slightly, "You stop her from losing control in her sleep? That's...that's fantastic!"

As if on cue, a great roar rose up from the table behind them as someone one the wrestling contest and Shanks knocked his chair back standing up, suddenly brilliantly animated.

"Do you realise what this means? She can feel safe being around other people again!" Shanks exclaimed with a great laugh of joy, mirroring almost exactly what Blaize herself had told him. "I did wonder why she looked so...relaxed when sh – uh, I mean when you two – well never mind. So, you haven't _'taken her maidenhood'_" Shanks repeated making Ace groan into his hands in embarrassment, "but what are your intentions with her?"

Again Ace was a little bit at a loss for an answer. He hadn't really thought further than each day they spent together, but that wouldn't be enough for Shanks. He didn't want it to sound like he was messing Blaize around, because he most definitely wasn't...but his heart sped up a little when he thought of anything past their missions...he really wasn't sure. He'd never really thought about the future before; he was always just grateful to have survived yet another day.

"Still finding it hard to answer that question eh?" Shanks smiled with surprising understanding, "alright, then I'll ask you the same question Blaize's uncle asked me, when I was...shall we say, courting her mother." He suddenly sat down again, in a chair closer to Ace, a very serious glint in his dark eyes, "do you love her?"

* * *

_PLEASE REVIEW! I need to know what you think about this chapter especially! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **REVIEW** PLEASE!__ Thanks..._


	9. Chapter 9

_Hello there my wonderful reviewers and readers, thank you for all the feed back, it keeps this story alive and keeps me smiling so thank you :)_

_Ok, here's the next chapter, let me know what you think of it..._

_Enjoy..._

* * *

**A New Rocket and Missing Memories**

"_So, where will you go from here?" Shanks stood beside his daughter at the docks, awaiting his crew who, despite begging and pleading for her to reconsider, Blaize had refused to meet with. True, she missed them so much; they'd been a part of her family when she was younger. But that had been a long time ago now...and she still had much to do before she could even think about seeing them all again with a clear conscience._

"_Ace got a tip off from an old friend a few days ago, and now I know where Mihawk's gonna be in six months time, I'll stay with him and train until then I suppose."_

_Shanks looked over at his daughter, who had so many of his features but was every bit the beauty her mother was and felt his chest ache, knowing there was very little he could do to help ease her burden. Portgas on the other hand..._

"_Don't think it dishonourable to use your devil fruit to your advantage in your fight against your uncle. And if you ever need a sparring partner..." he let it hang in the air and Blaize gave the tiniest nod; it was a start, he thought with a small smile._

"_The boys a complete imbecile by the way," he stated suddenly, causing Blaize to look up in surprise, "he's completely reckless, attracts trouble almost as much as his idiot brother, steals, fights, falls asleep at the worst times and is a danger to all those around him – I wouldn't trust your life with anyone else."_

_Blaize gave a short chuckle, "I'm just surprised you didn't scare him off. You can be pretty terrifying when you want to be."_

_Shanks quirked an eyebrow, mirroring his daughter's famed expression perfectly, "then how come you never do what I tell you to?" he asked dryly making Blaize snort._

"_Because I'm your daughter; I'm immune to your reign of terror."_

_Shanks let out a great laugh and clapped a hand down on her shoulder, "I think most people think you're more terrifying than me anyway."_

_Her expression turned to one of mock seriousness, "I think you might be right there, I'm pretty sure Ace told me as much once. Hey, I've been meaning to ask, what the hell did you guys talk about when you went off without me?"_

_Shanks suddenly looked very interested in looking for his ship, "Nothing much," he muttered, casting her a knowing glance with a small smirk. Before she could force the information out of him however, Ace appeared behind them._

"_Ready to go?"_

_She looked up at him, torso bare, hair flying free beneath his hat (which he'd stolen back only moments before) grin in place with the sea and the sun bright and radiant behind him; she was definitely ready for him. Blaize let a grin grace her face and shot him a nod before glancing back at her father. _

"_I'll do my best to see you again someday," She said._

_"Someday soon." Shanks said firmly._

_Neither of them wanted a long goodbye so with a wave of his hand and a meaningful glance to his daughter (which told her to train as hard as possible and be careful) he sent them off on their way again; but not before shouting..._

"_Oi Portgas! If I see Blackbeard I'll be sure to get the message to you on his whereabouts."_

"_Eh, thanks!" _

"_And make sure you look after my daughter or you'll be feeling the end of my sword before you can blink, got it?"_

_Blaize laughed when Ace winced at the thought but nodded in agreement all the same. It was just as their small vessel was coming into sight on the harbour that Ace nudged his hat up off his eyes and said nonchalantly, "So...Mihawk's your uncle eh? Figures."_

_Blaize glance up at him, suddenly feeling slightly uneasy, "what else do you now know?"_

_He shrugged, "not much to be honest, your father was very tight lipped about it all. But I'm not one to pry into another person's past." He said, though he did seem a little miffed to Blaize. She let out a small sigh of relief._

"_You're not going to tell me I'm stupid for going after him?" She asked curiously._

_Again Ace shrugged, but this time it was markedly more rigid, "if anyone could take him, I'd imagine it'd be you. Just don't go running into a fight you're not ready for and I'll hate you forever if you go in expecting to die."_

_It was such a vehemently strong statement that Blaize actually stopped in her tracks, "hate me?"_

"_Eh," he confirmed, not stopping his steady pace._

_Blaize smirked before catching up and saying offhandedly, "You know, my mum once said we only truly hate the people who have either gotten close to our hearts, or taken someone close to our heart from us."_

"_Well you've never taken anyone close to my heart from me..." He responded quietly, leaving the meaning of his words hanging in the air, buzzing between them and causing a stunned Blaize's own heart to pound rapidly in her throat._

* * *

_(Two weeks later)_

The pub they sat in was a small shabby place, with cobwebs in every corner and dust in every cup, but _damn_ the food was good. Blaize's original promise to be the food provider still stood but right now she wasn't touching hers, just staring pointedly at the fire user beside her, whose mouth was full of various different things.

"So...you spoke to a guy in a pub, then an old hag in a brothel who told you to go to a weird potions seller who said he'd give you the information you needed provided you drank some freaky looking blue stuff...is that right?" Her eyebrow was raised incredulously, mouth parted in disbelief.

"Pretty much, yeah." He responded between bites.

"So what did you do?" Blaize asked, already knowing the dreaded answer.

Ace looked at her with a blank expression, "I drank the stuff," he said simply.

"**YOU WHAT!?" **She cried, slamming a fist down so hard it shook the whole table.

"Eh, what's wrong?"

"Did you even get the information we needed?" She groaned.

"No," he grumbled, "the damn weirdo shoved me out before I could ask. Nothing else really happened –"

She cut him off, "Have you looked in a mirror lately?!"

Ace frowned, perplexed, and grabbed a spoon off the table...and shrieked like a girl, "FUUUUUUUCK! What the...! How...! AH MAN! Look at what that bastard's done! HE'S TURNED MY FACE UPSIDE DOWN!"

Blaize felt a nerve pop at her temple and quirked an eyebrow incredulously, "Ace?"

"_WHAAAT?"_ He whined, not looking up from where he was repeatedly banging his head against the table.

"All spoons turn your reflection upside down...your face is fine." She told him dryly. Ace felt his face frantically, running his hands all over it before giving a great sigh of relief. He frowned over at Blaize.

"So what's wrong with me then?"

"Aren't you missing something? Or things should I say..."

"Huh? Red are you sure _you_ didn't drink anything funny?"

She growled in anger, "YOU'RE TATTOOS ARE GONE YOU IDIOT!"

"**WHAT!?"**

* * *

Ace repeatedly banged the door to the potion seller's shop so violently Blaize was surprised it held up.

"Oi! Arsehole! Get the hell out here now! I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"Oh yeah, that's the way to get him to open the door, threaten his life..." Blaize remarked sarcastically and Ace threw her a glare before resuming his attack on the shop door.

"Open it now or I'll burn your whole fucking shop down! HEY ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME IN THERE! OPEN THIS DOOR!" He battered the door, raining punches and kicks down on it; it didn't budge. "Alright, that's it! You asked for it!"

Blaize watched with dry detachment as Ace flamed up and _tried_ to set the door alight. She was rather impressed when she saw it wasn't even scorched.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING MADE OFF?!" Ace bellowed, trying three times more before giving it an especially hard kick and stubbing his toe, "FUCK!"

While he hopped around naming every curse under the sun Blaize pushed off from the wall she'd been leaning on and made her way back down the road into town, "I'm hungry. I'll be back later ok? Don't do anything too stupid." She told him, but he wasn't really listening. With a roll of her eyes she hoped she wouldn't regret leaving him alone...oh how wrong she was...

* * *

"Portgas?"

"Yes girl Shanks?"

"Mind telling me what possessed you to use our boat as a battering ram...?" A nerve twitched dangerously in her temple as she surveyed the practically demolished boat that was their _sodding_ transport!

Whether Ace noticed the impending danger of her wrath or not, one couldn't tell, because he merely shrugged and muttered, "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

She shot him a murderous glare, steaming red mist.

"Eh? What's the problem? Its fine, I can fix anything" He said with a confident grin. With that he clapped his hands together and rubbed them, "right, where's a tool kit."

* * *

"Portgas?"

"Yes girl Shanks?"

"I hate you."

"Duly noted."

He sat rather dejectedly by the boat, which he'd somehow managed to make _worse_. Blaize had gone beyond fury but was still seriously considering rocketing him off into the sea. Arms crossed firmly over her chest she raised an infamous eyebrow.

"Does the D in your name stand for dumbass?"

"I've often wondered..." He muttered, throwing down a charred wrench.

Annoyingly, she was suddenly overwhelmed with sympathy for her poor fire user and shrugged off her cloak, rolling up the sleeves of her shirt and tapping him on the shoulder. "Stand aside Portgas; watch a real master at work."

* * *

"Don't come near me when I'm this mad at you _Portgas_. I'm trying to fix this wreck of a boat thanks to you, so go find something else to annoy." In all honesty she wasn't too mad with him now, after all, this was something she genuinely enjoyed doing; thought if she told him that he might see it as a green light to do more reckless things with their boat...and her tolerance was pretty low.

Ace sat behind her cross-legged, watching her with wrapped fascination. "Where did you learn how to fix up a boat?"

Not pausing in her work, "You learn stuff when you have to travel on your own. Now piss off will ya!"

"Who'd you learn it from?"

She let out a cry of frustration and pushed back the goggles so he could see the murderous glint to her black eyes. Apparently immune to her death glares now however, Ace just stared expectantly. She gave a short sigh and but started to tell him as she turned back to the boat.

"There was this blacksmith called Dutch Morgan I stayed with for a little while. I was only thirteen, and although mum had taught me most of the domestic stuff and dad and Mihawk had made damn sure that I could defend myself, I still didn't really know much about the world. Plus I had no money. He sort of picked me up one day, I think I looked like death by this point...he said he'd teach me the trade so I could earn money and he had an assistant." She felt a warm glow encase her chest as she spoke about this time in her life; it was one of the few occasions where which hadn't been fucked up by her devil fruit.

"I didn't tell him about my devil fruit at first; in fact I'd even go as far to sneak out on nights I needed to sleep. But one day, I got scared by a spider and blew up half the shop. But instead of being mad or scared of me, he was thrilled. I couldn't understand why until he started to suggest all the different things I could do as a blacksmith, because of my devil fruit." A soft smile graced her face as she held her finger to an injunction between two slates of metal. "Like this..." a short spark flared from her finger tip, burning white hot. She pulled down the goggles and set her finger on the broken plates, grinning when great sparks flew up. They sealed together beneath her touch and when she pulled away it was as good as new – and neater than any blow torch could ever do - that done, she retracted the blaze and blew some smoke off the tip of her finger with a smirk. She glanced over at Ace and laughed ruefully when she saw his bug eyes wide with fascination.

"Yeah that was pretty much my reaction when I first managed it. This was the first time anything good had come from my devil fruit." She continued, picking up the wrench and going to work on some crooked bolts, "I could handle burning metals and turn stuff in a furnace without the hindrance of huge gloves. He taught me everything he knew and he never once showed he was scared or worried about being hurt because of me. I think over the time I spent there, he reconnected me with the world of humanity. In fact he was the one who suggested I find a way to put my past behind me, so I could truly have a future. And he was right; until I rid myself of the guilt of my past I can never truly be free to live."

She looked up to see Ace giving her an odd look which was gone before she could figure it out. He gave her a genuine smile and Blaize felt her breath hitch slightly.

"So you want to rid yourself of past regrets to feel free to live?"

She cocked her head to the side, musing over what he'd said, "Yes."

"Huh," a sort of determination sparked behind his eyes, "I can relate to that." He said softly. She turned to him once more, lifting her goggles.

"Yeah?"

There was a far off look in his eyes, not exactly sad, but not happy either. "My mum died protecting me." He said quietly. Blaize looked at him in shock; she'd had no idea...

"I'm so sorry –"

"It's ok," he reassured her, shaking his head with a slight smile, "she died in child birth so I never knew her. But, she did so much for me and I never got to thank her for it...and for the longest time I felt guilty about it, until I realised there was nothing I could do to change my past; so there was no use regretting it."

Blaize was silent for a moment while she digested this, then "It never stops hurting though, does it?"

He didn't reply straight away, but Blaize caught the look in his eye; no, the pain never left you. "Having pain in your life just makes you a stronger person." He said.

Blaize let a sad smirked slip from her lips, "because when you're fighting against the pain every day, you have to be strong to survive it, or it'll consume you. You have to let it become a part of you on your own terms, force it to become a strength and not a weakness."

"Exactly!" Ace said with a firm grin. "No regrets!"

She laughed and had to agree with him; to get past the pain you had to find a way to put it behind you and live life with no regrets whatsoever.

"So," he shuffled closer so that he was sat just a few inches away from her, head propped up on one hand, "what happened to this Blacksmith guy Morgan? You ever hear from him?"

She shrugged and turned back to the boat, "couple of times, mainly when I got my first bounty. Heh, he seemed seriously proud that I chose to become a pirate."

"Eh? Why's that?"

"Because his brother was a Marine; I say _was_, I think it was actually _your_ brother who defeated him and got his ranks stripped...but then Morgan was never all too close with his brother, said he was a self important prick who had raised his son to be a pussy. Couldn't be happier I was on the side opposing him."

"Geez Luffy sure knows how to make his mark on the world."

Blaize chuckled in agreement. "What was it like growing up with him?"

The rest of the day and well into the night was spent with Ace in the otherwise empty shipping yard regaling stories of his youth. He animatedly told her tale after tale of all the kinds of trouble he and Luffy got into as children, all the adventures they went on, how he'd been made terrible fun of for wanting to learn manners just so he could thank her father properly for saving Luffy and how growing up with bandits meant there was very little left to be scared. All day Blaize listened unwaveringly, soaking in the excitement rolling off Ace in waves, laughing until her tummy hurt and she couldn't safely try to fix the boat without blowing something up. Ace told her about his childhood friend Sabo, and how, although he'd died years ago, he was still his and Luffy's brother and they would never forget him.

At this Ace went to show her his arm, before cursing and letting it drop dejectedly by his side, "that bastard," he hissed, and Blaize realised he meant the guy who'd taken his tattoos. Her tools long abandoned, replaced by bottles of sake and food instead, Blaize shifted closer to Ace and gently touch the place where his missing tattoo was. He relaxed into her light strokes.

"Every single one of those tattoos is on me to remind me that there are people out there I care about, people who are worth fighting for...even if they're not all with me anymore. I feel naked without them." He smirked softly, fully aware of the irony considering he was in fact naked from the waist up.

Slowly, Blaize moved in front of him and lifted up the t-shirt she'd put on for working on the boat. "Do you see this tattoo?" She turned her head slightly so she could see Ace nod, "what does it look like to you?"

He leaned in closer to expect it better and a shudder ran down her spine when his fingers lightly brushed aside her dark red curls so he could trace the black ink. "It looks like a sun or a star..."

Blaize nodded with a soft smile, "My mum used to say that that was what my devil fruit really was; a star. I got this to remind me that at least one person thought my devil fruit was more than just destruction."

Ace didn't say anything for a while, then just before she was about to turn around, she felt his hot lips press against the cool skin of her tattoo. Her heart instantly kicked into high gear, hammering against her chest as Ace kissed her exposed skin, moving up to the base of her neck before hooking a finger beneath her chin and bringing her round so he could capture her lips with his.

"You're not destruction Blaize; you're life."

* * *

(Ace P.V.O)

The next day, Ace woke to find Blaize missing from bed and suspected she'd left as soon as he'd fallen asleep. He was right of course; she'd been up all night in the shipping yard fixing the mess he'd made of their boat...in fact...

"You fixed it!" He exclaimed, staring in utter awe at the shiny, perfect, immaculate custom made speed boat, showing absolutely no signs of his _handy_ work whatsoever. He looked between it and Blaize, who stood with a proud smirk on her oil, dirt and dust stained face.

"I didn't just fix it; I made it better than before. It should accommodate for my powers now."

For a few seconds Ace just blinked at her... "Your powers?" He asked carefully, wary of the spark in her dark eyes.

"Yeah! I thought, you always do all the work when we travel and what with your narcolepsy and all, we get stuck for ages sometimes – so, I modified the jetpack thingy on the back –"

"..Jetpack _thingy_...?"

"– so that it could take my blast as well. Want me to show you?"

"I don't know, do I?" He teased. She shot him a withering look before kicking the boat off the jetty sending it slashing into the sea below. "Oi, careful!"

"After what you did to it yesterday...?"

He winced, "Touché"

Ace went over to the edge of the shipping yard as Blaize jumped down into the boat. He was thoroughly curious about this and more than a little thrilled (and scared) by this zealous pirate woman.

"Alright then, you watching Fire Fist? Three..."

"Eh, have you tested this yet?"

"Two..."

"Wait what am I supposed to do if you fall into the sea! I can't –"

"ONE!"

**!BOOM!**

* * *

(Blaize P.V.O)

"We are way too reckless to be travelling together." Blaize pushed a frazzled curl off her forehead and rubbed at some dirt on her cheek; god she needed a bath.

Ace just smirked, "Then why do you sound so proud saying that?" She nudged him with her elbow but couldn't suppress the grin on her face. Ace stared at her until she raised a brow and shot him a questioning look. "You look different, that's all."

"What do you mean?" She frowned.

"This is the most relaxed I've ever seen you look."

Oh...he was right. She felt completely at ease right now and more than a little thrilled that her invention had worked - travelling would be a hell of a lot easier now with two of them being able to work the boat. In fact working on the boat all night had made her realise how much she missed doing blacksmith work; perhaps after her mission was over... Well, right now there were more important things to think about; like getting Ace's tattoos back and forcing the information they needed from this bastard. They arrived at the door of the 'potion' shop and Blaize could practically feel the fumes radiating off Ace. She laid what she hoped was a calming hand on his arm and found it scorching; thank god for her devil fruit.

"Just go with my plan ok?"

"Fine." He ground out, firmly crossing his arms to prevent them from doing some much wanted harm. Last night when Ace had been in blissful slumber, she hadn't _just_ been fixing the boat; she'd been hatching a plan too. She shooed Ace away and rearranged her clothing (a simple loose shirt with shorts) as provocatively as possible; not too hard with her breast size to be honest...

Evidently the shop owner hadn't expected Ace to come back today because the door swung open without hindrance.

"Ah, good day miss, can I help you with anything?" A strange little man with small, round rimmed glasses propped on the edge of his pointy nose leaned across the welcome desk with a sly smile. She didn't miss the slight tip of the glasses and the flash of greed in his beady blue eyes when he caught a glimpse of her cleavage. Biting back a retort she smiled sweetly and walked over with a distinct sway in her step. The shop itself was weird. Covering almost every surface was a jar of some sort, containing anything you could imagine from thousands of tiny little eyes to bright green sludge and perfectly preserves flower heads. There was stuff hanging from the low ceiling as well, odd plants and animal skins which she avoided with great caution.

"I was just noticing your door; I've never seen any wood like that. You must be pretty special to have such a door?" Flattery was not exactly her strong point, but he seemed to fall for it hook, line and sinker.

"Why yes I am." He gave her a toothy grin and beckoned her in closer, "The wood is just a covering; it's actually a solid sea stone door, in fact this whole shop is made of sea stone."

Ah, well that would explain it then. But why do that? She asked as such and he got a sly glint in his eye, "Tell me, have you ever heard of devil fruits?"

Feigning innocence and trying not to crack a smile, she nodded wide eyed, "Of course, but they're just legend right?"

The man gave a crooked cackle and shook his head patronisingly, "Naive girl – they're real alright. I've seen them myself, had them come through here as trade more than once or twice."

Really? Now that _was_ interesting, she looked appropriately impressed and awed and leaned in closer, pushing up her breasts on the counter. The less blood there was in his head, the lower the chance of suspicion, "Do you have a devil fruit power?"

"Me? No, the price of selling them on always outweighed the wish to take a bite myself. But that's why I made this store out of sea stone, in case the idiots eat it instantly and can't control whatever power comes out of them. In fact...hmm, I really shouldn't tell you this..." He pulled back a bit, stroking his chin. Worried he'd stop Blaize the most innocent look she could muster (she'd need a serious pint of beer after this was over; she didn't do girlish innocence)

"You can trust me. Please? You have the most fascinating way of explaining things." That seemed to do it. The idiot man puffed out his spindly chest proudly and came in close again over the counter.

"Well, I just had a very important _pirate_ come by just a few weeks ago. You don't happen to know the name Blackbeard do you?"

Her heart stuttered to a brief stop, but she managed to cover herself with a look of terror and nodded; bingo.

"Well, I happened to sell him a devil fruit for over 200'000'000 beli. Not sure what it did to him exactly, but whatever it was was seriously powerful; he flattened an entire town not twenty miles from here."

Oh shit...this was bad, this was very, very bad. So that was the information that Ace had been sent here for. Blackbeard was now a powerful devil fruit user...fuck.

"Wow, that's amazing," She pushed off the desk and wondered round to the other side. The guy looked over her body hungrily, "just one more thing; I have this friend whose tattoos have suddenly disappeared, can you perhaps explain how that might happen?" Her voice had grown steadily more dangerous as she gladly dropped the act of innocence and thumbed the hilt of one of her swords.

The snivelling little man's eyes widened past the rims of his glasses as confusion and suspicion warred on his crooked face, "T-tattoos you say? Horrid, offensive things, can't stand them myself; I'd say your friend was lucky." He said nervously.

"That's not really for you to decide." She unsheathed her sword just enough for the deadly sing to reach his ears; he flinched and started to back away.

"W-wait! What's the meaning of this? You're with that heathen pirate who came by yesterday, aren't you? You bitch, you tricked me!" He cried. Getting bored Blaize unsheathed her blade and brought it to his neck in one fluid motion. "AH! Ok, ok, I didn't really get rid of them, just made them invisible. H-here," He reached over for a small bottle, full of black liquid, "this'll bring them back, I swear!"

At this point Ace swaggered in, arms hanging loose by his sides, itching to take the potion. Blaize held up her free hand for it but then paused, "Take a sip first." She ordered. The man trembled beneath her cold glare and without hesitation, uncorked the small bottle and took a short swig. When he did keel over dead Blaize deemed it safe to drink and reached forward to snatch the bottle from him, handing it over to Ace who drank it in one instantly.

"I-it takes about an hour for the tattoos to be revealed again." The man nearly screeched fearfully.

Ace walked over and sat deliberately on the counter, blocking any form of escape. "I better stay here until that happens then. And between now and then, we can have a little chat, see what else you know about Blackbeard."

The man practically squealed and Blaize could've sworn he was only moments away from wetting himself. She sheathed her blade and pulled back, sending Ace a nod.

"I'll just leave you two boys to it then..." She said, shooting one last dangerous look at the trembling store clerk, before leaving to find a place for them to stay for the night.

* * *

Blaize came up and slapped him lightly on the arm, "Would you get some sleep already? They're back, actually technically they were never gone..." She rolled her eyes when she realised he wasn't even listening. In fact she was fairly certain he didn't even realise she was there and was just about to give up and turn away when he suddenly caught her attention.

"Oi, can you check something for me?"

"Um, sure...WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" She blanched when he oh so casually dropped his pants; yes plural!

Standing butt naked with his back to her (but a very clear view of his front in the mirror he was stood in front of) he looked over his shoulder at her with a wicked grin, "I need you to check if there's still a tattoo on my lower back."

"WHY DID YOU NEED TO DROP BOTH PANTS!?" She cried, hiding her very red face in her hands. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen him in a state of 'undress' before, but she had yet to see him in his birthday suit.

"Relax would you, I'm covering up all the goodies." He told her in a frustratingly sexy voice. She inched her eyes open to see him smirking at her, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Her hands quickly found something to throw at him which he ducked deftly with bark of laughter. "Just take a look for me, please?"

Still blazing red in a whole new way (because Blaize blushing was a _very _rare occurrence) she gave an uncomfortable huff and slowly let her eyes rake down the back of his perfectly muscled behind, trying desperately to ignore the heat shooting to her groin. Then she spotted it and after a slight hesitation, she leaned in for a better look. It was situated just above his left arse cheek, and compared to the other two it was relatively inconspicuous, which was probably why she'd never noticed it before.

"A pink hibiscus flower?" She remarked, not missing him visibly relax upon knowing it was still there.

He turned slightly, looking down over his shoulder at her, "It represents my mother; she always wore a pink hibiscus flower in her hair. I've never let anyone see it before – apart from the person who did it for me of course."

"Well I wouldn't imagine there'd be many opportunities to get your arse out Portgas," Blaize teased, though she truly did feel privileged that he'd let her see a tattoo he kept close to his heart...well arse but that was beside the point. She stood up, fully intending to put some distance between herself and this magnificently naked man before she lost all self control, however Mr. Naked Magnificence had other ideas. He turned too quickly for her to back away and suddenly she was completely trapped by his intense stare.

"So do you have any tattoos in 'hard to reach' areas?" He asked suggestively, earning a sharp swipe to the head.

"Pervert," she muttered, thoroughly flustered. "Put some pants on for god's sake! It's bad enough you go around absent a shirt damn it!"

"Is that still bothering you?" He smirked, bending over to pick up his trousers and giving her a wonderful full view of his behind.

"I'm getting used to it..." she smirked and heard his dark chuckle.

"Alright, I'm dressed."

She stayed turned away and asked sceptically "You're version of dressed or ordinary people's version of dressed?"

He let out a rough laugh behind her, "Which do you think?"

She didn't get a chance to turn around to check, because he was suddenly _right_ behind her. Her breath caught in her throat, she could feel the intense heat of his obviously bare chest against her back. It was so hot, too hot; she couldn't breathe past the thumping heart lodged in her throat. Just as his fingers went to trace her sides she slipped away from his grasp, muttering something about needing a bath.

* * *

What was _wrong_ with her?! She wanted him, wanted so much more than just heated kisses and well placed caresses, yet every time she felt like they were about to get into something which could lead to this, she chickened out. It was insane! Here she was, one of the powerful women in the world, with a man who could actually _take_ her power head on and survive, and she couldn't make the jump. Was this normal? Ok, so she was a virgin, so what?! She had never really wanted anyone like this before. She was only nineteen for god's sake, it wasn't unheard of, especially with past restrictions on being close to people...Still...why was this so difficult; more importantly, why was she scared.

With a soft sigh she sank deeper into the blanket of heat and bubbles. This was ridiculous. She wasn't scared, she wouldn't allow it. She had to do something about this. I mean she was acting like some pathetic love-struck teen – ...The water sloshed noisily as she sat up quickly. Was she...? She _liked_ him that much was very, very clear...but was she...was she in love? How long had they been together now, two months roughly? Wow, two months, that time had flown by. In fact, were they even together? They'd never had _that_ conversation...Ok, what was the advice Morgan had given her to know if she was in love or not? Right, three questions; one, does he make your heart beat faster than a drill? Almost always – two, can you imagine your life without him? Now that she really thought about what it would be like to travel without him...a hand shot to her chest from the sudden, unpleasantly sharp jolt which shot through it. The answer was no then, she couldn't imagine life without him; and that thought was terrifying – and three, would you die for them...?

Morgan had said, if the answers are yes, no, yes, then you're probably in love and therefore royally fucked, as he'd most eloquently put it. But he'd said that with a genuine smile, like it was a good thing. This feeling though, if it really was what she suspected it might be, was the most terrifying thing she'd ever felt. And when she thought of letting him be her first...that feeling jacked up ten folds. No wonder she felt like running every time she thought it might lead to _that_. But then, did she really want to lose it to someone else, who meant less to her, just because this scared her so much? No, that would be stupid.

So in answer to her question, was she in love with Portgas. D. Ace? It was obvious...

* * *

When she finished her bath and got back to the room Ace was resting on the bed, eyes half closed in a daydream. Taking a deep breath and tightening her grip on the towel around her otherwise completely naked body, she walked to the end of the bed, right into his view line.

"Ace?" Bloody hell her heart was like a jackhammer against her chest!

"Hmm?" He looked up, eyes widening only ever so slightly upon seeing she was in a towel and nothing else.

"I need..." deep breath, just say it... "I ne – no – I _want_ you...to show...to show me how to...um...to showmewhatpeopledoinbedtoget her." The sentence burst out of her in a tumble of jumbled letters and for a moment, Ace looked thoroughly confused. Then as his brain slowly started to decode what she'd said his eyes went alarmingly wide and his jaw dropped.

"Oh...you mean –"

"I mean sex, y-yes." By this point she'd squeezed her eyes shut against the awkwardness she'd created. Urgh, this was so uncomfortable, why won't he say anything.

"Blaize...look at me." She cracked her eyes open and saw that he was now standing, moving almost _carefully_ towards her. "Are you sure?" He asked softly. She swallowed hard and nodded, perhaps a little too fast. Unconvinced Ace closed the distance between them and gently took her face in his warm, strong hands. "You look terrified."

"I am." She said before she could stop herself. Biting her lip, she fought not to look away. She needed to show him she was serious about this.

"This isn't something that can be undone once it's done...are you sure you want it..." he took a shaky breath and it was then that Blaize noticed he was trembling slightly. "Are you sure you want it to be me?" He sounded so hesitant...a crushing force suddenly drove through Blaize; did he not want her? Was this a responsibility he didn't wish to take on?

"You – you don't want this?" She whispered, trying to hold back her confusion and possible humiliation, "You don't want me...?"

Ace looked like he'd been hit in the face with a brick, "Wha – No! I mean yes I do, of course I do! More than you could possibly know...it's just, I need to be sure this is what you want Blaize, because I don't think I could forgive myself if I let this happen and you weren't ready for _it_" ..._oh_... "I don't think – I don't think I could forgive myself, if I lost you because I didn't wait for the right moment."

Blaize was stunned into silence. She couldn't think or breathe, she could only stare into his dark eyes, strained with concern and uncertainty and...desire – not lust, but unadulterated desire. She couldn't honestly say how she could tell the difference, perhaps because what she saw in his eyes reflected perfectly what she felt inside. And suddenly the fear was gone; not the nerves or the uncertainty, because she had no idea what to do, she'd never done this before after all, but the fear was gone. She knew what she wanted and why. Going up onto her tiptoes she brushed her lips against his and only felt brief hesitation from him before he pulled her against him with a strained groan.

"Ace," she sighed happily and pulled back slightly, noses still touching as she rested her forehead against his. She needed to tell him...

"I need to tell you something." He said, his baritone voice stealing her line. Their eyes connected, the silence around them was so utterly complete she could swear both their erratic heartbeats were like thunder in the room. "Blaize I –"

**BOOM!** An explosion suddenly tore through the building, shattering their room apart and sending both pirates hurtling through fire and debris.

* * *

_What? You didn't think I'd make it that easy did you? You'll have to review if you want to hear them say those three big words...of course, that's if they both survive what just happened...Review and find out loyal readers._


	10. Chapter 10

**_Ok, so firstly I'm so sorry for the wait, there was a good reason, I refuse to ruin a story just because I was a little lost for ideas (Don't worry I have a very clear idea of where this story is going, I just got stuck on one spot). So I waited and made you wait and for that I'm sorry. THANK YOU to all the reviewers, old and new, who have stayed with me! You kept this story alive :) Hopefully this chapter will be worth that wait..._**

**_WARNING: Explicate M content...if you don't want to read it that's fine, just stop when it starts getting heavy..._**

**_Ok, that's all, enjoy..._**

* * *

**Explosions**

Sometimes even the strongest pirates get caught completely unawares. She'd like to think it was because the enemy had been particularly strong, but the truth was both Ace and herself got caught out because they weren't paying attention to anything but each other.

If they had been paying attention, they would have heard to soft footfall of dozens of Marines surrounding their hotel, they may have noticed that the silence was too unnatural to be safe, they might have noticed the unmistakable sound of a canon being loaded a little sooner…But they didn't…Instead of keeping their guard up, they allowed for a brief moment of complete vulnerability; and it got them blown up damn it!

Blaize was no stranger by now to waking up in the debris, fire and utter chaos of an explosion – maybe it was some kind of sick cosmic joke – but when she tried to open her eyes against the burning acidity of smoke she was shocked by the source of it. Not the explosion. Not the fire and dust it left behind. It was coming from Ace…and when she looked up at him, an unexpected jolt of fear shot through her chest. His whole body was crouched over hers, rigged and shaking, but he was obviously making a conscious effort not to touch a single part of her nearly naked body. Flames licked and roared across his skin, dissolving any debris falling towards them, but that wasn't what scared her. It was the look of pure rage etched into his handsome face, twisting it almost beyond recognition. It wasn't her he directed this terrifying expression at, but an unknown source behind her field of vision.

"Fire Fist Ace, I presume?" A silky voice sounded from the direction Ace was glaring at. Fed up of not being able to see, Blaize went to roll over – making sure the flimsy towel was secure. This caught Ace's attention and seemed to snap him out of whatever rage fuelled frenzy had possessed him.

"Blaize! You're ok?!" The flames on his right arm abated a little and he backed off so that she could sit up properly.

"Of course I am dumbass, it's not the first time someone's tried to blow me up…though it might be the first time I haven't helped them do it…" She added bitterly. Geez she felt like shit, her head was throbbing something fierce!

Keeping one hand firmly pressed between her shoulder blades, his sharp gaze shifted back to the enemy, keeping them in check while he spoke to her, "Take it easy, you took a nasty blow to the head when these assholes shot a canon through our window. I thought it might have…" His eyes flicked to hers briefly, filled with barely restrained panic. Suddenly understanding what had made him so terribly angry, Blaize brought one hand to his jaw, trying to calm him down enough so he wouldn't do anything rash.

"Ace, I'm fine. It's ok…"

"How sweet, who would've thought disgusting pirate scum like you had the capability to feel anything more than greed." The sickly sweet voice reminded Blaize that they were in fact surrounded by Marines. She turned as much as she could in Ace's protective embrace and saw a pink woman stood just at the edge of the wreckage, flanked by at least thirty officers; and by pink she meant pink hair, pink suit, pink gloves even dark pink eyes…Blaize _hated_ the colour pink! It clashed so badly with her hair…

"So you're the bitch who tried to blow us up, eh?" Blaize seethed as Ace's anger seeped into her; she was in _no_ mood to deal with these assholes. They'd interrupted them at a crucial moment…she was seriously pissed off. "Who the hell are you?"

"Captain Hina. We got a tip off that you were in town – what luck, it would seem they weren't lying."

Damn it! That old man from the weird shop must've ratted them out, the weasel!

"Now, Hina will arrest you both."

Blaize raised an eyebrow, "What's with the third person shit?" She muttered.

She slowly began walking towards them, and the resounding clack of multiple guns being focused on them echoed in the silence. "Don't try to escape…it is futile."

"Enough – I don't know about you but I'm pissed off and bored of this shit." Ace said, his voice still a little too dark for Blaize's liking. "I'm gonna show you why they call me Fire Fist Ace…"

The arm which wasn't around Blaize rose and pointed directly at the enemy. A ripple of safety latches being pulled back followed Captain Hina as she said, "Don't try to fight back Ace; you might not be affected by bullets but I doubt that woman in your arms will survive being shot at."

…_That woman…_so the old man had only recognised Ace from the wanted posters, not Blaize. She was actually kind of offended by that. Evidently Ace found it rather funny, because he was smirking, barely holding back a laugh; while it annoyed her it was certainly an improvement on the look of pure hatred on his face before.

Captain Hina just frowned, "What? What's so funny? You think you can attack us before we shoot? Your fire's not _that_ fast Fire Fist."

"It doesn't have to be." He retorted.

"Hina has had enough!" She shouted, using that irritating third person again, "Men! If he tries to so much a send the smallest flame out, shoot!"

"Yes Captain!"

With that she leapt forward, arm outstretched, ready to encase them in a cage using her devil fruit.

"Let me handle her?" Blaize whispered as she approached, "Go get the boat ready to leave ok? I'll be right behind you."

"Wha – I'm not leaving you –!"

"If you don't go I'll kick your arse so hard you won't be able to sit for a week!" She threatened.

"Geez, alright woman…" Despite looking appropriately scared, a smile crept into his eyes. "Be careful ok? I won't forgive you if you get yourself hurt."

"Sure, just get goin–" He cut her off by slamming his lips against hers. He pulled away, albeit reluctantly and jumped up into a sprint for the docks, crashing through the Marines before they had a chance to stop him.

"MEN! SHOOT HIM DOWN!" Hina screamed whilst still running full pelt towards Blaize. The sound of gunshots cracked through the air as Hina hit Blaize, her arm passing through her upper body and encasing it in iron. The towel miraculously stayed in place, but Blaize was thrown back several yards.

Hina wasted no time in coming to stand above her, "Looks like that pirate doesn't have a heart after all; how terrible of him to just leave you…what the hell's so funny!?"

The grin plastered on Blaize's face obviously pissed the pink Marine off – good. "Man you Marine's are dumb. You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"Some nobody whore of Portga–"

"Egh! Wrong answer." By now Ace should be far enough away, she thought. The iron around her body started to glow red, "You better start running…" The ground and debris was soon infected with the red glow too and Captain Hina wisely started backing away. "I'm the one who blew up that fleet of twenty ships three years ago…"

"…But…that would make you…!"

"That's right," The red glowed brighter, picking up power, "I'm the pirate rogue, Red…"

Captain Hina turned and began tearing back to where her remaining officers stood shocked. "RUN!"

"…Blaze…"

**BOOM!**

* * *

If the towel made it through this night she was keeping it as a momentum – proof that miracles do exist! Blaize ran for the docks, the scattered Marines nowhere in sight. After the explosion, which had zero fatalities she was happy to add, the Marines had either been too confused or shocked to do much to stop her slipping away in the chaos. Even now Blaize could swear she could hear that Hina bitch screaming curses. But her ears were ringing a little too much for her to hear anything clearly; actually her vision was getting a little wonky too...

Her heart jolted when she rounded the corner and saw Ace pushing the boat _gently_ into the sea. He turned at her approach which was lucky because she didn't slow down, but flung herself into his arms and smashed her lips to his.

"Mm woah, ok…" He mumbled, pulling back a little, dark eyes searching hers, "Not that I don't love being greeted by you like that but…are you feeling ok?"

No, she thought, she felt better than ok; she felt practically giddy. No one had died! She'd actually controlled the blast enough that no one got seriously hurt.

"They're alive!" She gasped, feeling more breathless than she should for the distance she'd run, "I didn't kill anyone. I controlled it…" she slumped a little but Ace caught her.

"Hey! Oi!" He brought both hands to her face and looked her straight in the eye, "Blaize your pupils aren't equal. I think you hit your head harder than you thought...you've got concussion." Even as he said it she felt vertigo hit her and the ground seemed to slide out from under her. She felt sick as Ace lifted her into his arms and jumped down onto the boat, careful not to jolt her.

"I knew you weren't ok." He grumbled. Suddenly shouts could be heard from a few yards away – evidently the marines had stopped crapping themselves and were on the lookout again. "It's great that you didn't kill them an' all, but now they're after us again."

"Better get going then," she slurred, her throat feeling clogged and heavy. Usually rocking waves calmed her…not this time…

"Right." He slammed his foot down and ignited the engine with his devil fruit fire. The shouts and curses faded away as the boat carried them away from their close shave with the military.

Even as dizzy as she was, Blaize knew she _had_ to stay awake. "Talk to me."

"Uh?"

"Tell me something that won't make me fall asleep; I know that might be hard for you." She smirked softly.

"Ok enough to joke I see." He shot back, but she didn't miss the small smile of relief that graced his lips. "Alright, but it's going to have to be a two way conversation so I know you're still awake."

"As opposed to most conversations being just one person talking…" Her sarcastic remark was met with a bark of laughter.

"You didn't grow up with Luffy."

"Point." She'd heard and seen enough about his brother to know that when the young Captain started talking, he could go for hours…especially if drink was involved. She actually missed the Straw Hat crew. Hopefully it wouldn't be too many years before they'd all meet again…

The sun was just breeching the horizon, casting swirling streaks of pinks and oranges across the morning sky and lilting ocean. The soft light caught in Ace's dark hair making it shimmer and in her delirious state, Blaize had never seen him look more beautiful.

"What I was going to say…before we got 'interrupted'" The sudden nervousness of Ace's tone caused her focus to sharpen a little, "I…Blaize I wanted you to know that…I-"

Her happy mood scattered as dread filled her chest. An urgent need to stop him before he said the next few words gripped her hard. Perhaps this violent mood swing was down to the concussion...Or maybe just a _need_ to tell him the truth about her past before he said something he may regret later.

"Do you know how my mother died?"

Her interruption was so sudden and unexpected it threw him completely and for a moment, the engine petered out and his mind went blank for a few seconds. "Uh…no, you – you never told me." He concluded uncertainly. Honestly she wasn't sure why she'd stopped him with such a question, she was pretty sure she knew what he was about to say. And there in lay the problem. Somewhere, in her fuzzy mind a sort of warped logic had taken root. She couldn't let him think he was in…that he cared for her without knowing the full truth about her past. She wanted – no _needed_ – him to know what she'd done before it was too late for him to turn back.

He hadn't restarted the engine (It would take the Marines hours to catch up with them. That's _if_ they headed in the right direction...), but was instead looking at her bleak expression with the upmost concern. Slowly he lowered them both into the bowl of the boat, careful to keep her slightly limp body propped up against his. Using both of his large, warm hands he cupped her face gently, brushing away the tears she hadn't realised were there.

"I was five –"

"–Blaize you don't have t –"

"Yes, I do." She tried to look him in the eye, but her vision was still spinning too much. "Please, let me tell you, before I lose my nerve…before you think something I don't deserve…"

If she'd been fully aware she would have seen his jaw go tight and his mouth open and close a few times. But finally he swallowed his words back and gave her a nod to continue. "Ok."

She took a deep breath and, unable to focus on his swaying body, looked up to the sky bathed in the light of dawn. "I was five," she began again, "when one of the people in our village found a devil's fruit. He didn't know what it was at the time, but my mum did. She also knew the dangers it could bring to the village. So she purchased it herself and took it home to hide it. But I was a very curious five year old and when found the fruit by accident later that day…well, as you can probably guess, I ate it all."

"Mum was furious at first, but then when nothing seemed to happen, she thought maybe she'd been mistaken. In any case, it wasn't until three nights later when I had my first nightmare that we knew something wasn't right; my missing wall was a pretty strong indication. To protect me mum told everyone that an oil lamp had fallen over and must've hit something flammable. I've never been sure why she didn't then tell dad – the town's people I get, they would've rioted if they knew someone as dangerous as me was living next door – but dad could've helped. I don't know, maybe she was worried the letter would be intercepted or something. Dad was rarely able to come home. But that was ok, it was his way of life and we had each other…" Pain gripped her chest causing her lip to stutter to a halt for a second. Ace slipped his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together and squeezing it tightly. Tears continued to slide down her cheeks and her voice was getting heavier by the second but she went on.

"Mum found a way to stop my devil fruit in my sleep; she would sing to me so I wouldn't get nightmares. She did this for six years and it worked without fail. But one night, just before my eleventh birthday…she…she must've been more tired than usual…I don't know…because she stopped singing and the nightmares started – but it was nothing compared to what happened when I woke up." Her voice went dangerously dead as she relived the memory.

"I'm not sure if it was the explosion or the screams or the fire…but I woke up and everything was just darkness and chaos. Mum must've tried to stop me, because when I woke up she – she was lying on top of me…but she wasn't moving…she wouldn't respond to my cries…I couldn't move…I – I was trapped underneath my mother's dead body…and it was _my_ fault. I killed her."

The heat of the fire, the screams of the town's people as they tried to help, the feel of her mother's weight on top of her, it was all as fresh in her mind as if it had happened yesterday. A hand on the back of her head brought her back to reality. Suddenly she was pressed against Ace's chest in a fierce hug, his arms engulfing her small body. She felt wetness soak her shoulder and was shocked when she realised that Ace was crying _for her_.

"You're wrong." He croaked out, muffled against her neck. "It wasn't your fault; you didn't do it on purpose."

"It doesn't matter whether I did or didn't mean to do it, I did it!" She tried to push out of his embrace but he held firm. She sobbed in frustration and pounded his back weakly.

"Th-that's not all I d-d-did wrong." She stuttered, her sobs bordering on hysteria. Ace tried to sooth her, stroking her hair and pressing kisses to her forehead. But she needed him to understand everything, including why she needed her uncle's forgiveness.

"When M-Mihawk and Shank f-found out – they thought it was p-p-pirates. I was sent to live with Mihawk because d-dad travelled. He g-gave me the swords…and then he – he t-told me he had to g-go punish my f-father; b-because he's broken his promise to p-protect my mother. He was going to fight him even though he's lost his arm…and I…I didn't tell him it was really me he s-should p-p-punish…" she broke down into uncontrollable sobs, unable to think coherently anymore. Blame it on the delirium from the knock to the head, or call it backed up emotions from eight years of running from her past, but Blaize cried for a very long time after that. She cried longer than she'd ever cried before in her life, even as a child.

Ace didn't utter a word, he just held her close and rubbed soothing circles on her back until finally, the sobs abated somewhat and her breathing stopped jumping quite so violently.

"Blaize..." she looked up into his sad, dark eyes (thankfully her concussion had healed enough that he wasn't spinning anymore; she could meet his fierce gaze…) "I'm so sorry." He whispered softly, "I had no idea you were carrying that on your shoulders...but..." He stroked a thumb over jaw, "but I know you would _never _hurt someone on purpose unless you absolutely had to, let alone your own mother. If you think telling me about what happened would make me care any less about you, you're wrong."

She couldn't speak. She wanted to yell at him, drill it into his head that it _was_ her fault. Didn't he get it, she killed her own mother! She –

"How can you say that?" She croaked, finally finding her voice. "Don't you get it, don't you understand what it makes me? I killed my own mother! I'm the worst kind of pers –"

"NO! People like my father and Blackbeard are the very _worst_ kinds of people; don't you _dare_ think you're anything like them. You're not…you're nothing like them."

She shook her head but he gripped her jaw almost painfully.

"Stop it. Stop blaming yourself!" He took her face in his hands, making sure she couldn't escape his intense gaze. "What happened to your mother was terrible, but you need to stop feeling guilty for what happened to her; she wouldn't want that for you."

"How would you know?" She muttered quietly.

"Trust me, I know what it's like to feel guilty for your own mother's death..." He breathed evenly but she saw the flicker of pain pass over his face.

Blaize closed her eyes as her memory came flooding back, "Of course, I'm so sorry...She gave her life so you could live." She bit her lip hard, "But...that's still different. She chose to give her life for you, my mother didn't have to die! I killed her!"

"My mother didn't _have_ to die either; she could've chosen life and given me up. Just like your mother could've chosen to give you away, so she wouldn't be in danger."

...That, pulled Blaize up short and for a moment she just sat there, mouth slightly agape...In all her life, not once had she thought of it like that...But he was right. Her mother could've chosen to end the danger at any time and put her somewhere where she could do no harm. But instead, she'd made sure her daughter lived a normal, happy childhood, despite the danger that put her in. It was so selfless and so brave...Blaize had always thought her mother's 'choice' to stay had been because she felt it was her duty to, that she _had _to. But it wasn't...it was because she -

"She loved you." Ace murmured, reading her mind, "And she wouldn't have wanted you to feel guilty for something she _knew_ could happen if she kept you with her. The day she decided to sing you to sleep instead of leave you, was the same day she would've excepted the consequences of what could happen. It was her choice Blaize, and she did it because she loved you. I know because my mum didn't _have_ to keep me hidden for so long it killed her, she could've had me when it meant she could've lived, but she didn't."

"Because she loved you." She closed her eyes, feeling light headed again. "I never thought of it like that..." She whispered. The guilt, which had made deep roots in her heart was reluctant to believe his words and the tug of war pulled painfully at her heart.

The warm of Ace's hands eased it slightly as he continued, "All I am is grateful that she was brave enough to do that for me. I may not feel I deserve it because of who my father is, but you do. You're one the toughest, most loyal, good-hearted people I've ever met; the world would be a far better place if more people like you existed."

She exhaled in disbelief at his words, "How can you think so much of me?"

"Because…" His thumb brushed her cheek absently as he fixed her with a strange, soft expression.

"I love you."

Her world froze.

Ace froze, an anxious expression laced with fear etched into his features.

The air froze, refusing to work her lungs.

Her mind froze, as if stuck on the meaning behind those words, mouth slightly parted in shock...

Her body however let instinct take over.

A smile cracked through her mask of despair and sadness, pulling her heart along with it, tearing it away from the sharp pang of guilt it had been attached for so long. She let her forehead fall against his and felt rather than saw the relief exhale from his tense body. She felt giddy again, only this time everything was in perfect, sharp focus; from the soft sea breeze pulling at their hair, to the way the sunlight made his freckles stand out, to the thunder of her heart against her chest, to the rush of warmth and clarity flooding through her body. A little voice in the back of her mind kept telling her she shouldn't do this, it would only end the same way it always did and that she didn't deserve it for what she'd done. But that voice, which had always been so loud in calling her guilty all these years, was quietened for the first time. It was still there, eight years of blaming herself weren't about to just disappear so suddenly, but it was strange; after confessing it all to Ace and not seeing him turning away in disgust, after hearing his view on her mother's choice to stay...she felt…she felt lighter. She felt her mind clear and the guilt ebb just enough for her to see how she truly felt about him…it was so easy to see now, she felt foolish for trying to deny it.

Running her fingers through his hair she let her smiling eyes meet his through her dark lashes. "I love you too."

And then there was no more talking, because he closed the distance between their lips and kissed her. He kissed her with all the pent up emotion he'd withheld from her. He made sure there was no doubt in her mind that he loved her, he let himself fall into her, consequences be damned.

Their kiss grew more and more heated, until Ace was guiding her back against the floor of the boat. Her hands moved over his bare chest as he claimed her mouth. She gasped at the feel of his fingers brushing her waist and suddenly, she was _very_ aware of the fact that she was still in only a towel…His lips moved to her neck quickly making her forget her lack of clothing. Heat rushed to her belly and below as he boldly hitched her leg up around his waist, the warmth of his hand on her thigh making her skin burn in the most wonderful way. Only his trousers were between their lower regions now, and both of them paused, moaning as his thick member accidentally stroked her bare sex through the thin cloth.

"Blaize…shit." Ace groaned, trying to pull back but found her other leg come up to meet the other one behind his back, pulling him closer so that he hit her core again. His dark eyes snapped to hers.

"Remember what I asked of you just before the explosion?" She asked, her voice thick with rough with desire.

He nodded, swallowing hard, "As if I could forget that."

Acting on instinct, Blaize pressed her core to his once more, shuddering at the pleasure it gave her. If his groan was anything to go by, it had the same affect on him too. "I meant it Ace."

"We're in the middle of the ocean, with no food, no water and no clothes for you; if we're going to do this, I'm going to make sure you're as comfortable and safe as possible."

Blaize rolled her eyes, "For a pirate you can be a really irritating gentleman sometimes – AH!" She cried out when he suddenly brushed a finger lightly over her sex. The burning intensity of his gaze slipped beyond her line of vision as he ducked and slid his tongue across the junction between her neck and shoulder.

"Just because I'm gonna make you wait for _that_, doesn't mean I'm not willing to do anything at all." He growled against her neck, making her shudder. As if to emphasize his point he slid past her folds and pressed against a spot she had no idea existed inside of her, and she arched into his warm body.

"Ah – Ace!" She broke out in a sweat, her body slick against his as he continued to move inside her and use his other hand to pull the towel aside so that his mouth could traverse lower than her shoulder blade. She cried out again when his hot tongue made contact with her swollen nipple. Lost in the haze, her hands tangled in his dark locks, she moaned out his name and felt his mouth smile against her breast. This was the pirate Ace D Portgas at his most deliciously wicked, plundering her trembling form. But he wasn't the only pirate…

Racking her hand through his hair she yanked his head back bringing a surprised yelp from his lips before she stole the sound away with her own mouth. She moved with him, pressing up against his solid body, feeling the muscle ripple and tense against her skin. The hand previously at her breast moved down the curve of her back teasingly, before hauling her closer, moulding her firmly to him and driving his fingers deeper as he added another one. The moan was lost in to his mouth as they kissed each other with growing fervour. The coil of heat was almost painfully pleasurable now, knotting tighter and tighter in the base of her belly, until…

…only a short gasp managed to escape her as an explosion unleashed through her entire body, shooting electricity down every vein and muscle. She tightened in his arms, head falling back as she rode out her orgasm…

"WOAH!"

The boat suddenly lurched forward, throwing them both down in a tangle of limbs. As the red, blazing fire they'd been completely unaware was surrounding, simmered down the boat coasted to a stop. The two befuddled pirates managed to gain purchase again and for a moment just stared at each other in shock. It took the smallest smirk, and both of them burst into fits of laughter as the sheer ridiculousness of what just happened sank in. Not the exploration of each other, but the intrusion of their devil fruits ruining the climax. It was so typical…

Ace was the first to recover, helping Blaize realign her towel whilst still chuckling softly, "I guess we'll have to find a pretty private place to do _it_ until we both learn to control our destructive orgasms…"

Blaize tilted her head at him in confusion, "But you didn't-"

"Uh…yeah, I kind a did…I guess we'll both be needing new clothes."

At that Blaize lost it again, earning a good-hearted eye roll from her fellow pirate as he went to start the engine properly again. She stayed where she was, blissfully allowing the moment to take hold. In this exact moment there was no past or future, no Marines or bounties, no worries or cares, just her and Ace in their little rocket boat, riding the waves.

"Thank you." She spoke so softly he almost didn't catch it.

He raised a suggestive eyebrow, "For what? That...?"

She chuckled, "No, well yes but, no. Thank you what you said, about your mum and...and what it meant for mine. Thank you for not turning away in disgust."

"_Nothing_ about you is disgusting." He responded firmly. She still didn't quite agree with him but right now, she was too happy to argue. So instead, she let her head fall back against the side of the ship and breathed in the salty sea air. What she missed as the winds blew through her hair, were the quiet words Ace muttered bitterly to the sky..._ "Unlike me..."_

"You know, I could get used to this…" she mused, sitting up against the side of the boat as he settled down by the engine.

She didn't catch his long stare or warm smile, because her eyes were closed as she breathed in the new day.

"Yeah," Ace murmured, "Me too."

* * *

_**Review! I need to know what you think! Thank you all for reading I'll get the next chapter up asap! But only if you all Review!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_To my dear reviewers, thank you so much for sticking with me, your feedback has been better than I could have hoped for...or deserve :) As I said my writer's block has now abated and I have a clear idea of where this story is going once more! Hurray!_

_Enjoy loyal readers..._

* * *

**Of Sea Kings and Hawks**

**...**

It was a couple of days later that the two pirates found themselves in a whole heap of trouble; and the day had started out so well…

_Earlier that same day…_

"Nami's gonna kill me…" Blaize groaned as they docked in a cave, well hidden beneath the bustling town above. "I lost _all_ of the clothes she gave me; and she gave those to me for free! Come to think of it I was kinda shocked she did something like that…"

"Er, about that…" Ace scratched the back of his neck, avoiding her sharp gaze, "I may have been the one to suggest she 'offer' you some clothes free of charge…"

"What? Why?" She asked, momentarily perplexed.

He gave a noncommittal shrug and finished tying off the boat, "You're wardrobe seemed fairly limited, I thought you'd appreciate it."

"_My_ wardrobe was limited?! What about yours! You don't even seem to own a bloody shirt!"

"That's 'cus every time I wear one it burns off when I flame up!" He shot back defensively.

Blaize scoffed, "There's a big hole in that excuse Fire Fist."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"How come your hat and pants stay intact?" She asked with a rather smug twitch of her lips. The frowning pout which pulled at his face caught a laugh from her, darkening his expression further. "You just like showing off your Tattoos." She concluded.

"Eh, what's wrong with that?!"

"Nothing, it's just that your torso can be a little…distracting." Heat pulsed through her chest as her eyes swept over his bare abs. Ace followed her gaze down and the pout was swiped away by a cocky smirk.

"Knew you found me distracting," He muttered and she mimicked his noncommittal shrug from earlier. "Oi!"

"What?"

"Admit it."

"Admit what?" She asked airily, looking anywhere but at the pirate in front of her, who had taken a rather arrogant stance.

"Admit I distract you." He said wickedly.

"Tch, in your dreams Fire Fist!"

"Fine," he inched closer, "I'll just take your towel then…"

Alarm flashed across her features, "You wouldn't," she dared.

His smirk broke into a sinful grin. He struck fast and while Blaize could certainly match him in a fight, trying to keep a towel on gave her a distinct disadvantage. Within two moves, he had her trapped against his body, one arm wrapped just beneath her bust, the other gripping the edge of the towel.

His hot mouth against her ear sent bolts of electricity to her stomach. "Admit it."

"No," she growled back.

"I'll burn it off you." He warned.

"Just try it and see if you have any balls left the next time you fall asleep." She hissed, feeling the mouth against her ear grin wider.

"You've got violent tendencies Ms. Shanks, it's not healthy to think such thoughts; my balls certainly don't appreciate it."

"Your balls can go stick it if you dare burn away this towel!"

A stalemate, neither pirate moved though both were tense, poised to strike. Then Blaize went slack in his arms and allowed her head to fall back onto his shoulder so she could meet his dark eyes.

"Fine, I'll admit it; I find your lack of a shirt mildly distracting sometimes."

"Mildly?"

"Don't push it."

With a dramatic roll of his eyes Ace relented too, moving the hand that gripped the towel up to her chin, drawing her in for a long, intense kiss. "You're far more than just 'mildly' distracting in this towel," he growled against her lips, sending vibrations through her whole body.

"Mm," she kissed him again, "better get me some clothes then."

"I didn't say it was bad a thing…but," he cut off her retort with his lips, "I'll admit I want to be the _only_ one allowed to see you like this."

"That's very possessive of you Portgas."

He smirked, "I'd called it loving protection."

"Whatever, just shut up and get me something to wear temporarily so I can go get more clothes, sans this stupid towel."

With one last kiss he pulled away, "Fine." He grumbled, a mock frown pulling at the freckles on his nose.

"And make sure whatever you find isn't ugly!"

He shot her a reproachful expression, "You saying I have no fashion sense?"

That infamous eyebrow of hers quirked up, "You run around half naked in an orange cowboy hat…"

"Yeah and I look damn good in it," Tilting said hat at a jaunty angle he swaggered off to the cave exit but not before throwing back an, "Oi!"

"What?"

"Love you." So casually that the butterflies which jumped in her belly cottoned on to what he'd said before her brain did.

"Love you too," She replied with a rueful smirk, noting how his 'swagger' paused ever so slightly, showing her his heart jumped at the words too.

After not too long the flaming man returned with some baggy trousers and a black tunic, several sizes too big for her slight frame. Her unimpressed expression was all she needed to tell him these were most certainly _not_ acceptable clothes, but she donned them anyway, using the towel to cover herself as she quickly slipped them on; the trouser _just_ about stayed up…Whatever, she thought, they were enough to get her to the market at least; then she could buy more fitting clothing.

…and that's where the 'trouble' started.

"All my money was in the same bag my clothes were in…" Shit! How had she forgotten to think about this before now! She was broke…

"What of it?"

"What do you mean what of it –"

"We're pirates," he cut through, that cocky half smile the only thing not cast in the shadow of his hat, "We're not _supposed_ to be moral."

"…You're saying we steal what we need?" She mused. To be honest it wouldn't be the first time she'd done that. Sure she avoided it as much as possible because a lot of people didn't deserve to be stolen from, but after she'd run away from Mihawk, she'd had to steal to survive. Ace had probably been in the same boat a few times…

"I guess we don't really have any other choice do we?" She huffed, heading for the nearest clothing department store. At least this town was big and prosperous; she didn't have to feel guilty about this.

Ace slung an arm around her shoulder, scratching his chin, "Just one problem…"

"What?"

"Carry around a big pile of clothes is pretty easy to spot."

This time, it was Blaize's turn to smirk devilishly, "Oh don't you worry about that…I know just how to hide them."

* * *

"Oh yeah, this draws _way_ less attention." Ace grumbled.

"Stop complaining, it's bad for the baby." She chided, causing Ace to groan again. She had to admit, it was delightfully fun seeing him in so much distress. To add to it, she patted her round belly fondly and caught a few old women smiling and 'aw'ing at her and Ace. Of course, the 'baby' was actually the clothes they'd 'acquired' from the shop, plus Ace's hat which was deemed too recognisable, shoved beneath her too large black tunic (it came in handy after all). To add to Ace's bad mood, he was forced to wear a black shirt (though he refused to button it) while Blaize wore a scarf over her not so subtle hair; normally they wouldn't care about disguising themselves, but the place was crawling with Marines on high alert after the stint they'd pulled on Captain Hina.

After one brazen old lady actually came up to them a patted her belly, congratulating the 'happy' couple, Ace practically burst into flames while Blaize just smiled happily playing her part a little too well.

"You're enjoying this too much." He growled.

She laughed, "And you're being suspiciously serious about this; lighten up, no one can even tell who we really are. It's not like the news of Portgas and B. Shank's impending parenthood will be splashed all over the news tomorrow."

Apparently that comment didn't help matters because Ace only tensed up further. Worry gnawed at her gut so she pulled him to a stop beneath a tree on the side of the road. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked none too gently, poking him in the chest.

"Nothing." He replied sullenly, avoiding her eyes.

"Bullshit, you've been acting funny since we left the shop. Tell me what's up or I'll use force to get it out of you."

"Wouldn't that be bad for the baby?" He replied and the amount bitterness lacing the sarcasm shocked her.

"Ace," she said, softer this time, "Tell me what's wrong?" she was genuinely worried now; she'd never seen him like this before.

His dark eyes focused on her, boring into her own black irises with ferocious intensity. "I just…I don't like how real it looks." He said, gesturing to her faux belly.

Looking between them, perplexed Blaize asked, "Why?"

He remained silent for so long she thought he wouldn't answer, but finally a devastating expression of pure self loathing flittered across his handsome face. It shocked her to the core…but it was a look she recognised…she'd felt it herself many times. But what the hell was this expression doing on his face?!

"I can't stand the idea of anyone being cursed with baring my child…especially you." He whispered.

Blaize felt like the clothes were suddenly replaced by a pile of bricks. She felt winded…she felt light headed, the bad kind… "What the hell would make you say something like that?" Her voice was hoarse with shock.

He refused to meet her eyes, "I can't tell you…if I do…you'll leave me, I know you will."

The world around her squeezed in and blacked out and she was left wondering how in the hell they went from a joke about a faux pregnancy bump to a conversation _this_ serious…

"Can we just drop it?" He muttered, dropping his head to stare intently at the ground. Not really knowing what else to do, Blaize stepped in as close as she dared, noting his flinch, and slid both hands beneath his rough jaw line. She forced his eyes up, so he couldn't escape her gaze.

"Not until you tell me why you'd say such a thing? What's got you so scared you think I'll leave you?" Her voice may have been soft as she asked but there was a stubborn fierceness to her dark eyes; she wasn't dropping this. Beneath her hands, his jaw tightened but he didn't pull away. To any onlooker they just looked like a couple having a loving conversation…

"Alright…" he relented, albeit very reluctantly, his voice strained. "But not here; let's get back to the boat."

She nodded and he took her hand firmly, brushing a kiss inside the palm before starting for the cave. The sinking weight in her stomach hadn't abated at all, but at least he agreed to tell her what made him think such a thing. But as they walked, Blaize wondered if it's something she'd want to know or…she shoved the thought aside. Nothing he's done could possibly be worse than what she did and he not only accepted her in spite of it, he held the belief that she wasn't at fault nearly half as much as she thought she was. So whatever he had to tell her, it couldn't be that bad…right?

* * *

(Ace P.O.V.)

His back was turned to her, so he couldn't see the expression on her face; he was pretty sure it was utter disgust. She'd said nothing since he'd told her, not even a whisper. Ace was loath to admit how much he wished he could take back telling her, because now she'd leave him and in all honesty he wasn't sure his heart could take that. Sure he'd understand, but for skies sake, he loved her…he couldn't just forget that if she chose to walk away now…

"You're a bloody hypocrite, you know that right?" Her irritated voice echoed around the cave…irritated but not disgusted. Carefully, he turned to gauge her reaction; it was far from what he expected. She was stood close, hands on hips, that infamous eyebrow quirked in annoyance…she didn't look like was about to run a mile like he thought she would…like she probably should.

"What?" was all he managed to mutter. She jolted him out of his stupor with a sharp jab to his chest.

"You harper on at me about how what I did wasn't my fault, that even though I did the act I wasn't wholly to blame, the choice was pretty much out of my hands so I shouldn't spend the rest of my life feelings guilty and regretful." She was seething, he was pretty sure he could see a redness starting to glow off her skin. "Yet here you are, looking mopey as hell, full of guilt because of who your father was!? Are you kidding me! You hold absolutely _no_ responsibility for that, NO ONE does you idiot!"

He can't find his voice – he just stares at her utterly dumbstruck as she continues to rant like a pro.

"So your father was Gol. D. Rogers, so what? Was it your fault the Marines issued that baby hunt? No! That's their stupid ass fault and his. Was it your fault he was so bad? No, you weren't even alive when he did all of that crap. And you said yourself you were grateful for what your mother did; she obviously _chose_ to be with Rogers, so that takes away that blame as well. As far as I see, there's none left for you; so why the hell did you think I'd leave you for something like that?" Her voice cracked across him like a whip, harsh and pissed as hell. "How could you have so little faith in me?" She adds, several tones darker.

"I…You…How…" After numerous more false starts he gave up. She was right of course, but how could he convey it wasn't the same…he was cursed; she just made one terrible mistake which wasn't even really her fault anyway. It wasn't the same. It wasn't.

"Blaize," He tried again and plundered on because there was a dangerous tick starting at her temple which told him her patience was wearing thin. "It's not that I blame myself for who my father was, I…I don't. You're right; I can't and won't regret something I never had any control over." Though he could be mad about it as much as he liked, "But," he went on, "I'm aware of the curse he put on me by being my father. The reason my bounty is and always has been so high isn't just because of what I've done to piss the Marines off. It's because some high up bastard knows about my blood tie to Rogers. They want to eradicate his blood off the face of this world…so that's why any child of mine would be cursed; and so would the mother." Pain ripples through his chest at the thought of putting her in such danger and he can't help but brush his knuckles across her cheek. Her expression has softened considerably but there's still a stubbornness to her eyes which pulls at his heart.

"You're the last person I thought would give a damn about what the Marines think."

He let out a huff of frustration, "It's not that –"

"Of course it is. Geez you can be so dumb sometimes."

He dropped the hand from her face feeling his anger spike, but she cut him off before he could think of a retort.

"You think you're the only one with a high bounty because of your parent?" She quipped, tone laced with dark irritation again. "Both my father and my uncle have such high bounties that no one even bothers to ask just how high they are anymore, they don't need to, to know they're two of the most obscenely high bounties ever released. Don't you think that _maybe_ played a factor when they were deciding mine? So don't you think that the Marines are baying for my blood too? Whether your blood was added into the mix or not, they'd still be gunning for any children I may have; why do you think Shanks hid me and my mother from the world? The only difference is that I can actually say I'm proud that I'm related to Mihawk and Shanks." A fierce flash of pride illuminated her dark eyes before they visibly softened, "I'm not saying I want children, I have no idea. I've never thought about it because I have so much else to do; but I know one thing – I'd never let the Marines blood hunt stop me from deciding whether or not to have a kid – and neither should you. Besides, I'm pretty sure your connection to Whitebeard has something to do with your high bounty too…"

Whatever argument he'd had lined up died on his lips. He wanted to be angry, but he couldn't muster it, he wanted to tell her she was wrong, but in truth she was one of very few people, and even fewer women, who could actually relate. Sure her blood tie wasn't quite _as_ serious as his, nobody's was, but it was damn close.

"You're unbelievable!" He managed to sound equal parts exasperated and…amused. The way she was looking at him in that moment, she looked more pissed off that he'd thought she'd run than about who his father was. But she'd also reminded him of something very important; who his _real_ father was. Whitebeard. He was his father, and he was damned proud to say so. And he made sure everyone he met knew that by showing off his tattoo – Blaize was right about why he didn't wear a shirt…like the one he was wearing now.

Without a word of warning to the young woman before him, he ripped the offending thing off and looked over his shoulder at the massive Whitebeard tattoo spanning his back.

"What are you doing now you idiot?" Though her tone was still harsh, it didn't quite have the same bite as before.

"Just reminding myself I actually _do_ have a father I can be proud off." _One who's proud of his children too…_

"Took you long enough; you done moping and whining about how you think I'm gonna leave you?"

"You really don't care?" he had to be sure; he had to ask one last time.

She sighed but humoured him, "I really, _really _don't give a damn. Now are we done?"

Yeah, they were done; he wasn't worried anymore, not with that stubborn ass look in her eyes. If at all possible he loved her even more now – maybe this was how she felt after telling him the secret of her dark past…No barriers, she excepted him for exactly who he was, all sins included. Just like his crewmates. Just like Whitebeard.

With nothing else standing in his way, any reluctance he felt about going through with what she'd asked, disappeared. It was with no small amount of restraint that he didn't take her then and there; he did however sweep her up into his arm and kiss the living daylights out of her, though he was careful to control their fiery flare up this time, keeping it close to their entwined bodies. So what if the Marines wanted to wipe out his blood line! Fuck them; they weren't getting near any child of his and Bla…the memory of Blaize and her faux pregnancy belly leaked behind his closed eyes, bringing him up short. The warmth it brought with it was a shock, but not an unwelcome one.

A weak slap to his cheek brought his attention back to the very woman he'd been daydreaming about, still held in his arms, her flushed face so close to his he could almost _hear _her frantic pulse.

"Hey, don't tell me you're thinking of disagreeing with me now?"

He let out a low chuckle, "I don't have a death wish do I?"

"Good answer," She grinned and closed the distance between their lips once more.

Suddenly, the air filled with frantic screams, wrenching apart the two pirates.

"What the fuck?!" Blaize muttered as they both turned to the cave exit to see where the screaming was coming from. Above them, the town was in a complete frenzy, fleeing the docks in a mad scramble of flailing limbs and dust. Even the Marines trembled violently as they assembled along the bay, weapons pointed out to sea even as half of them chickened out and ran too.

"What in the w –"

_**ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR !**_

The unbelievable noise shattered the air, shaking everything worse than an earthquake, deafening anyone caught in its tremendous range and drawing all eyes to the colossal Sea King hurtling through the ocean, heading straight for the town.

"Oh shit…"

"Ace if that thing hits the town it'll kill everyone! We have to stop it!"

His head snapped back to look at her, red hair flying free of the scarf, black eyes fierce, jaw set. One nod from him and they scaled the docks quickly. For once the Marines had more important things to worry about than two nefarious pirates, so they did nothing but run the other way when they saw them taking their stances, readying to fight the gigantic serpent. Another tremendous roar shook the ground around them – but they weren't running anywhere.

Adrenaline pulsed through his veins as Ace drew back his fist and sent an enormous column of fire, barrelling towards the beast. In the peripheral of his vision he watched Blaize flip through the air and send a series of searing red blades out from her limbs. As they joined alongside his fire, they grew in size and velocity, feeding his flames further. They melded into one ferocious attack…which the serpent dodged with frightening ease…Flicking round a rerouting it's course the Sea King careered for them once more.

After several more attempts, each one failing and only succeeding in sending the monster into further rage, Ace pulled Blaize back by the shoulder, "Fuck, that thing's fast." He panted. There was nothing wrong with the power of their attacks, just the speed of them; which was saying something because at it's fastest Blaize's blast could shoot across the ocean as quickly as any bullet.

"We need to get closer." She said.

"How? That thing's _swimming_ in the _ocean_; we're both fucked if we so much as put a toe in there."

"I know that!" She snapped back.

"Then how the fuck do we – OI! Where the hell are you going?!" He yelled as Blaize turned and sprinted away from the docks. "Fucking crazy woman…" He muttered, "That's the opposite of closer!" He shouted after her.

However, just as he was about to follow her, she came to a halt and turned back, crouching down low.

_**ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR !**_ The Sea King's bellow was much closer now, but suddenly, an answering **BOOM** sounded behind him.

"ACE!" He whipped around to see her sprinting for _him_, propelled by her blast from her feet, swords drawn and blazing red, "Give me a boost!"

Whether it was because he'd known her long enough by that point or some instinctual connection kicking in, he knew exactly what she was going to do.

He braced himself, making sure to time it perfectly. She leapt, feet slammed into his waiting hands and he slung her round with a flaming boost of fire adding to the power of her launch and then…he released! The blast from his fire shooting her out like a gunshot. Her devil fruit took care of the rest. She rocketed through the air, faster than the monster could move, turning into a blazing comet across the sky. She was equal parts insane and fucking incredible.

The red streak she became cut through the Sea King like butter. It froze, momentarily stunned, then a long line of red burned down the length of its gigantic serpent body. With a burst of brilliant red light and another deafening scream, the monster split down the middle, crashing into the sea with incredible force. Lost to the sound, the second blast Blaize shot out was lost, but Ace managed to spot her lithe body sailing back through the air towards the docks…followed by a rising wall of water created by the falling body of the Sea King…

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" He bellowed.

Blaize shot through the air ahead of the water, a few metres too high to make the docks her landing. Instinct kicked in again as Ace blasted into the sky at just the right moment. Her careering body slammed full-throttle into his, sending them both crashing backwards and doing one hell of a job of knocking the wind out of him.

"_Fuck"_ he rasped as they hit the ground, skidding several yards before coming to a halt. Without only a slight glance back to check he was alive, Blaize was up on her feet again, heading straight into the path of the rising tidal wave. "WAIT!" As beat up as he felt, he wrenched himself up after her.

The _sing_ of her blades being unsheathed cut through the roar of water; she moved fluidly into twin, successive attacks, barely visible to the human eye. Two arks of red light released from her duel swords, carving a blazing path towards the tidal wave. The impact was colossal…Ace reached her just in time and yanked Blaize back against him, into the protective bubble of flame which erupted from his body as toxic rain pounded down around them.

Eventually, the hiss of water hitting his fire died down. A strange, heavy silence blanketed the town and only the faint slosh of sea water hitting the docks and crackle of his flames broke the quiet.

"Oi, you ok?" Her voice sliced through the eerie silence, vibrating against his chest where she was pressed.

"I'll live," he chuckled hoarsely, "What about you?"

"Probably better off than you." She said, pulling back a little way; he refused to release her just yet. He fought to suppress a groan when he felt her hands slide across his skin, checking his torso for injuries, "Sorry about crashing into you like that…"

"Eh, it was my own fault for thinking chivalry would be a good idea." He grumbled, but pulled one wondering hand into his own, drawing it against his chest, "Don't worry about me. What _you_ just did was one of the most reckless, insane things I've ever seen anyone do."

"Then why are you smiling about it?" She smirked.

His replying grin was sinfully devilish, "Because it was fucking awesome."

His lips crashed against hers and she met them with equal fervour. However before they could get carried away and loud screech sounded from somewhere above them. Breaking apart they're eyes darted up ready for another attack, only to find a hawk circling above them. It dropped a piece of paper at their feet before letting out another caw and flying off across the ocean…

"Eh? That's addressed to me!" Blaize remarked and bent to pick up the scroll. Ace's first instinct was to torch it but by the time he thought of suggesting this she'd already broken the seal and unrolled the parchment.

Whatever was written on it made her face pale…

"What is it?" Ace asked as the letter slid from her grasp and a look of pure fury shook across her beautiful face. "Blaize what's wrong?"

Cold, black eyes met his and from her mouth came one word, one name to be precise, "Mihawk."

* * *

(Blaize P.O.V.)

_To my dearest Niece_

_You have only five and a half months before out imminent meeting. Between then and now, I endeavour to offer you five tests so that when you and I duel I have some sort of a challenge. You may take or leave these tests, though I strongly suggest that you take them up if you hope to have even a fleeting chance against me._

_The first, which you just successfully completed, was to put a stop to the Sea King I spooked your way using my Haki…congratulations on completely the first test._

_If you wish to continue on, your next test will be waiting for you on Pavor Island, just a three week ship ride away. Prepare yourself if you do indeed intend on heading for this island; you will face your very worst fear…_

_Until our next meeting little Roux_

_Your uncle_

_Mihawk_

Now back in the cave, Blaize was seething, pacing back and forth across the rock while Ace waited patiently for her to finish ranting.

"Test me? _TEST ME?_ FINE, see if I care I could probably do with the training! But he almost destroyed an entire town just to _test_ me! What the fuck was he thinking? Is he mad?!"

"Says the devil fruit woman who just flew at across the ocean at a Sea King…" Ace remarked dryly. He flinched under her blazing glare and went back to staying silent.

"Where the hell _is_ he anyway?" She suddenly headed for the cave opening, as if he'd just suddenly materialize. As if she'd be _that_ lucky. He was probably long gone by now, "but he must've been close…" She muttered, more to herself than to Ace.

…Ace…she closed her eyes against a jolt of pain. Something in the way she looked back at him must've ticked him off or given him the power to read minds because he knew exactly what her next words were going to be.

"Don't even think about it; I'm coming with you. Pavor Island sounds like as good a place as any to ask for any leads on Blackbeard's whereabouts."

"Ace –"

"I'm coming Blaize. End of discussion."

"URGH!" Her fist flew out and hit the rock wall, blasting a hole several sizes bigger than her fist. "You're such a stubborn arse!"

Ace snorted, "You're one to talk." He shot back.

"This isn't your fight! It's mine and I'm not dragging you into this, end of disc –"

A ball of fire hurtled for her head and she had to duck fast to dodge it. When she straightened, ready to rip Ace a new one, but he was stood not two centimetres from her face, expression set with determination.

"I love you - therefore, you're my family now too, along with Luffy and Whitebeard and every brother and sister in his crew. If this were any _one_ of them, I'd never let them go storming off into danger on their own without anyone to back them up. So if you think for one _second_ I'm leaving you to do these 'tests' alone, then you have no idea how much I care about you." After a pause, a flicker of guilt wavered in his gaze, "sorry about the fireball; it was the only thing I could think of to shut you up." He mumbled sheepishly.

Blaize shook her head but knew there was no way in hell Ace was about to let her do this on her own – and no matter how much she damn near hated him for it, a wave of relief brought the smallest smile to her lips. She wasn't quite ready to part with him yet…if ever actually.

"Ok fine." She managed to grumble, "But for the record, I'm pissed as hell about this."

He smirked softly daring to pull her into his arms despite the irritation radiating off her, "Eh, whatever. Hurry up and get the hell over it, cus I'm not waiting any longer to kiss you."

Even as she contemplated biting his lip, she felt her frustration abate…but not her nerves. No, her nerves remained on high alert, sensing, searching for some clue as to what she…no…_they_ might face on Pavor Island.

* * *

_I always love to hear feedback, I think it makes the story better. So review and let me know what you think while I get to work on the next chapter! Thank you!_


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